Professional services company Turner & Townsend has been given a three-year contract to provide commercial services Highways England as the authority continues a consultation of its controversial plans to alter the route of a highway that passes by the world famous Stonehenge monument in southern England.
The firm, which has a three-decade history in the Middle East region and is currently working on Thematic Districts at the Expo 2020 Dubai site, has been asked to provide commercial services including estimating, benchmarking performance, commercial reporting and cost management taking the scheme into construction.
The consultant has also been appointed to deliver the next phase of two Highways England smart motorway upgrades, providing commercial and programme management for improvements to other major highways.
“The A303 upgrade is one of the most significant schemes set to be delivered under the Government’s Road Investment Strategy – creating a better experience for road users, improving economic connectivity across the south, and reducing the visual impact of this key arterial route on Stonehenge itself,” said Gary Healey, Director at Turner & Townsend.
The Stonehenge project, which is currently undergoing consultation, will upgrade the A303 highway, and includes plans to build a road tunnel near Stonehenge. It is part of a series of planned upgrades to A303/A358 corridor to improve connectivity between the south east and south west of England. While a change to the route close to Stonehenge is intended to help preserve the site, cut congestion and speed up travel times to the west of the country, the plans have drawn criticism by some environmentalists and historians who argue it could potentially harm the surrounding area and undiscovered archaeological evidence.