Balfour Beatty awarded contract for UK motorway

Balfour Beatty has been awarded a contract to upgrade sections of a UK motorway for the Highways Agency.

The FTSE 250 infrastructure group is collaborating with Skanska UK for the £321m design and construction of the M25 London orbital motorway.

Balfour Beatty and Skanska will construct infrastructure on 28.5 miles of the M25 in two sections between junctions five to seven and junctions 23 to 27 through Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire.

The Connect Plus scheme includes the upgrade of the central reservation to a concrete barrier to restrict the impact of incidents and reduce delays for motorists.

Road management technology including electronic matrix signs, CCTV cameras and emergency refuge areas for vehicles will also be installed.

Ian Tyler, Balfour Beatty Chief Executive, said: "We are very pleased to have been awarded this new contract on the M25. It builds on our existing contracts across the UK roads network and strengthens our position in the transportation arena, which is a core strategic sector for us globally."

Work on the 25 month contract will begin January. It is scheduled for completion by February 2015.

Shares were up 0.24% to 288.90p at 8:23 Monday.

RD