Following VolkerFitzpatrick’s appointment to the Delivery Integration Partnership Framework in November of last year, a £52.4 million contract has been awarded to the business, to deliver a series of improvements along the A27 near Lewes in East Sussex.

As part of the government’s Road Investment Strategy, Highways England is developing a scheme to improve the junctions along the A46, which includes the Binley and Walsgrave junctions, while on the A27 it will upgrade various junctions along a nine-mile section of the A27 between Lewes and Polegate, creating a new dual carriageway on a short section west of Polegate, with enhanced walking and cycling facilities along the whole stretch.

Highways England has also signed a £61.4 million contract with supply chain partner Geoffrey Osborne Ltd to deliver a major upgrade that will transform a bottleneck on the A46 in at Binley in Coventry.

The contracts signed with the two businesses represent the first two under a new industry-leading approach announced by Highways England last year, involving deals with 13 supply chain partners. The 13 companies – known as Delivery Integration Partners (DIP) – are working on 18 packages of schemes, including the A46 and A27 projects.

Stuart Ayres, VolkerFitzpatrick’s framework partnership director for the DIP Framework, said: “We are delighted to have signed the first scheme contract for the A27 East of Lewes improvement works. This marks the start of a new collaborative approach to strategic delivery on the roads network and continues the strong working relationship between VolkerFitzpatrick and Highways England.”

Peter Mumford, major projects executive director for Highways England, said: “I am delighted to announce the signing of these contracts, which mark the first of many more to come as part of the Regional Delivery Partnership.

“These are the first of 13 companies that will be working with us to deliver these important road projects, safely, with our customers in mind and to the delivery plan.”

Work on the A27 upgrade is expected to start next spring.