Colas has taken to the streets as one of the UK’s Lincolnshire County Council’s new highways contractors amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Colas is providing routine and emergency repair services for traffic signals and working with engineering firm Balfour Beatty alongside existing contractor WSP UK.
The start of work ensures that life-saving medicine, equipment, supplies and healthcare staff can travel to wherever they are needed most.
Worth a combined €865 million, the highways contracts will run for an initial six years, with the potential to be extended for a further six years. The traffic signals maintenance contract will be delivered and managed from the Colas regional office in Grantham.
“In the current era of COVID-19, we will monitor the situation daily on our work sites, and no work will proceed on any site that cannot comply with our COVID-19 Site Operating Procedures,” said Faical Lahmamsi, executive director national and regional operations for Colas.
“It’s critical that those making necessary journeys during this pandemic can do so safely on our roads,” said Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council. “The [UK] government’s current policy is that works should continue where they can be undertaken in accordance with Public Health England and industry guidance. The council has been working with our new contractors to allow planned surface dressing, footways schemes and other maintenance to go ahead, with staff following advice on social distancing.”
Colas’ contract also includes the supply and installation of all traffic signal associated works for new and replacement projects around the county during the contract period.
Meanwhile, Colas is working on a £6m project with North East Lincolnshire Council as part of the South Humber Industrial Investment Programme. The project covers construction of the 4km Humber Bank Link Road between Moody Lane, Grimsby through to Hobson Way, Stallingborough. Work is in conjunction with SIAC – Southern Ireland Asphalt Company and completion planned in September.
