Jacobs has won a contract from Transport Scotland to provide £40M to £60M of multi disciplinary consultancy services for a 32 mile stretch of the A9 to be upgraded between Pass of Birnam and Glen Garry.
This is the second of three large design contracts to be awarded on the £3Bn Perth to Inverness dualling programme. Earlier this year CH2MHill/Fairhurst won the Glengarry to Dalraddy section while the final design contract for Dalraddy to Inverness is expected to be awarded by the end of the year.
This latest contract award will see Jacobs carry out engineering design, statutory procedures, procurement and construction supervision, environmental impact assessment and data management. The firm will also get involved in landowner consultation and stakeholder and community engagement.
The Pass of Birnam to Glen Garry section of the upgrade comprises 27 miles of road to be dualled in addition to 5 miles of existing dual carriageway.
Jacobs Group Vice President Bob Duff stated, “We are delighted to receive this contract and are pleased to continue our support of Transport Scotland’s goal to improve the A9’s safety and performance.”
“We are committed to delivering high quality infrastructure that is built in consideration of the surrounding landscape and that creates a positive legacy for the future.”
Design principles for the A9 program were developed through a preliminary engineering services commission awarded to Jacobs in September 2012. The project encompasses key features such as crossings over the River Tay, and roadway that runs through National Scenic Areas including the Cairngorm National Park and the Killiecrankie Battlefield.
The overall A9 program is scheduled for completion by 2025 and will see 80 miles of road dualled along the 110 mile route from Perth to Inverness.
Elsewhere in Scotland a joint venture between Vinci Construction and Costain has been confirmed as the winning bidder of an £82M contract to build a major sewer tunnel in Glasgow for Scottish Water.
Work on this Shieldhall wastewater storage tunnel is set to get underway this month with completion expected in 2018. The tunnel is designed to improve water quality and help cope with the risk of flooding in the city and pollution of the River Clyde.
Photo Copyright Richard Webb and licenced for reuse under this Creative Commons licence
