Business

Co Down construction firm Graham wins £90m road English road contract

The new £90m road contract secured by Graham is set to significantly reduce traffic congestion in the town of Congleton in north west England
The new £90m road contract secured by Graham is set to significantly reduce traffic congestion in the town of Congleton in north west England The new £90m road contract secured by Graham is set to significantly reduce traffic congestion in the town of Congleton in north west England

CO Down construction giant Graham has won a £90 million English road contract.

Graham Construction, who last month posted record-breaking financial figures, has secured a prestigious highways contract for the construction of a 5.5km bypass that will help deliver “economic and social regeneration” to the town of Congleton, Cheshire.

Graham will work on the the new Congleton link road, which is set to significantly reduce town centre traffic congestion, particularly at peak times. Construction work will commence in November with scheduled completion set for late 2020.

Cheshire East Council officially announced the award notice earlier this month following a competitive tendering process.

Graham's managing director of civil engineering, Leo Martin described the latest deal as a "real coup" for the firm.

“We are vastly experienced in completing complex highways projects throughout the UK and we will be tapping into this expertise to ensure completion of the link road to the very highest standards.

“We appreciate that traffic has been a considerable challenge in the town and the link road will serve to vastly reduce congestion. But this scheme will do so much more than take vehicles away from the centre; it will also boost the local economy and create new avenues for growth.”

The new project will involve cutting the road 8m deep into mudstone in a 25m high escarpment before traversing the River Dane with an 85m long bridge and landing on a 12m high embankment founded on piled alluvium. Two further road bridge crossings and two underpasses will also be constructed while 3.5km of realigned and new local roads represent an additional portion of the works programme.

Philip Cox, chief executive of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership has the potential to create thousands of new jobs for the area.

“This scheme will support the development of more than 2,400 homes and 20 hectares (50 acres) of employment land to the north of Congleton with the potential to generate 3,000 jobs by 2035 and £13m per year into the local economy.”

Details of Graham's latest multi-million contract win comes just a month after the company reported a 36 per cent jump in revenue to £737.6m in the year to March

The Co Down firm also recorded growth across all divisions and highlighted a mammoth £400m worth of live construction projects in Northern Ireland