Grontmij has been an integral part of the team working to upgrade the last remaining section of dual carriageway between Birmingham and Glasgow. Early Contractor Involvement was the chosen method of procurement.

Congestion and accident reduction

The existing dual carriageway, known as the ‘Cumberland Gap’, was a bottleneck and was the scene of major accidents and significant congestion problems. Over one third of the 45,000 vehicles using the route are Lorries and there were no alternative routes when problems occurred.

Design of major structures

The scheme involves the construction of mainly on-line widening of the highway up to dual three lane standard. One section of off-line construction was required to construct a new crossing of the west coast main line railway on a £12m bridge to replace the existing failing Mossband Viaduct. The other major structure on the scheme was the 185m long River Esk Bridge which was launched over the Esk river and associated flood plain to form the Southbound carriageway of the new motorway.