Management of highway maintenance and improvement is being radically overhauled in London. Four new framework deals have been awarded to contracting teams who will look after work on major Transport for London routes and some local roads from next April.

Roads under TfL responsibility will constitute the major component of each framework but an increasing number of borough roads are likely to be included.

Roadworks in a ‘Central’ zone will be looked after by a Colas/Volker Highways/URS joint venture and South London will be handled by Enterprise Mouchel. North West London will be managed by Conway AECOM and North East London will be the responsibility of Ringway Jacobs. The total value of the four contracts could be worth £2.6Bn.

Each framework deal runs for eight years and covers 23 services including lighting, winter maintenance and safety inspections. TfL says the new frameworks should save £450M over the period by avoiding expensive tendering costs and through more coordinated working and better use of resources.

Transport for London’s director of roads Dana Skelley said: “These new contracts will allow us to deliver work in an efficient manner through joined up working with other London highway authorities.” 

Twelve of the 33 London boroughs are expected to begin using the new arrangement from next year when existing contracts expire. A further six boroughs have expressed an interest in participating from 2014. TfL expects councils to take part in the new deal where they “represent better value than existing arrangements”, but there is no compulsion to do so.

•  The Highways Agency has let its latest asset support framework deals for maintenance projects worth up to £15M. In the North the winning contractors are: BAM Nuttall, Carillion Construction, Costain, Interserve, Lafarge Contracting. In the South they are: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, Carilion Construction, Costain, Interserve Construction and Lafarge Contracting.

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