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This is the first of a number of Asset Delivery contracts in the South West which sees Highways England changing its way of working and delivering the Government’s record £15 billion investment to improve and maintain the country’s motorways and major A roads.

Highways England will now take direct responsibility for managing both routine maintenance and the delivery of capital renewal and improvement schemes.

The new arrangements will bring a number of key decision-making functions in-house and see Highways England taking greater control over the future of the network, ultimately ensuring the smooth functioning of its South West major roads.

The award of this and future contracts allows Highways England to directly engage with our supply chain, to drive down cost and waste, whilst providing the best possible value for money for tax payers, and service for our customers.

The contract will run for up to five years and focusses on design – it will see Kier taking design briefs and turning them into well-defined packages of work.

Duties will include preparing technical designs and undertaking supporting work for capital renewal projects and improvements to produce a solution that is ready for construction, and to design briefs to repair major roads and get them back running as normal after incidents will also form part of the work.

David Poole, Executive Director for commercial and procurement at Highways England, said:

We are delighted that Kier Highways Limited will be part of our new Asset Delivery supply chain community across the South West.

This contract not only builds on the new way of working already taking place in the East Midlands and North of England but also demonstrates our ongoing commitment to increasing Highways England’s capability and control over the whole road network.

Andrew Page-Dove, Regional Director for the South West, said:

Kier Highways currently operates a number of key support contracts and we are confident that this award will build upon our existing successful relationship and deliver a high quality service throughout the South West. We look forward to working with them.

Future awards will include a range of suppliers being appointed in April to the new framework for delivering construction works and a contract will be awarded in March for the maintenance and response contract, both of which will help to deliver the designs provided by Kier Highways.

Highways England will now begin working with Kier Highways to ensure that they are ready to begin delivering key design services from 1 July 2017.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

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The following summary of planned new and ongoing road improvements over the coming week is correct as of Friday 24 February and could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances.

All our improvement work is carried out with the aim of causing as little disruption as possible. Drivers looking for roadworks information (such as overnight carriageway closures) for individual schemes should now visit Traffic England. Some of our larger schemes have project pages giving other information. These can now be accessed from a dedicated regional page.

M53 junction 1 to junction 2 (Wallasey to Upton)

Work to upgrade the safety barrier in the central reservation between junctions 1 and 2 on the M53 started on Monday 6 February. Lane closures will be in place overnight, with some full carriageway closures later in the project. The scheme is expected to take around a month to complete.

M53 junction 9 to junction 10

Overnight, 10pm to 5am, Monday to Friday work to renew the safety barrier in the central reservation started on Monday 20 February for 5 weeks. This work will require overnight carriageway closures with clearly signed diversion in place.

M56 junction 10 to junction 11 (Stretton to Preston Brook)

Work to upgrade the safety barrier and paint new road markings on the M56 near Warrington started on Monday 30 January. Lane closures will be in place overnight between 8pm and 5am, Monday to Friday. The project is due to be completed by the end of March.

M6 junction 16 to junction 19 (Cheshire smart motorway)

Work is underway to upgrade the M6 to a smart motorway between Crewe and Knutsford, converting the hard shoulder to an extra lane and introducing new variable speed limits. Narrow lanes and a temporary 50mph speed limit are in place for the safety of drivers and workers.

M6 junction 19 (Knutsford) roundabout resurfacing

A £75,000 project to resurface the junction roundabout will be delivered overnight during week nights over the next week. The work started on Monday night 20 February with nightly overnight closures of the roundabout between 10pm and 5am.

M6 Junction 21 and junction 21a (cycle improvements with A574 Birchwood Way)

We’re improving pedestrian and cyclist access across the M6 with improvements to the existing overbridge and along the bridge’s links with the A574 Birchwood Way. The project will also improve the bridge parapet. Works started Friday 17 February for 2 weeks.

Cycleway improvement work is taking place between 9.30am and 3.30pm Monday to Friday, requiring a 24 hour closure of the footway along the southern side of the A574 Birchwood Way with a localised pedestrian diversion route. A lane closure will also be required on the A574 Birchwood Way westbound carriageway between the same hours.

Bridge improvement works will follow between 10pm and 4am, Monday to Friday. The M6 between junction 21 and junction 21a will be closed overnight Friday 3 March (both northbound only) and Wednesday and Thursday 1 and 2 March (all southbound). Clearly-signed diversions will be in place.

M6 junction 21a and /M62 junction 10 (Croft Interchange)

Construction work on a major project to tackle congestion and improve the flow of traffic between the M6 and M62 at Croft Interchange has now started. While the work is taking place, a 50 mph speed limit, backed by average speed cameras, will be in place along main carriageways of both the M6 and M62 and interchange link roads. Some overnight slip road closures will also take place.

M6 junction 26 to junction 27 (Orrell to Wigan)

We’re renewing the boundary fence and carrying out drainage repairs in the verge alongside the northbound M6 between Junctions 26 and junction 27 in a 2 week project that starts on Monday (20 February). The work is taking place between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

M6 junction 33 to junction 32 (Lancaster to M55 interchange)

Resurfacing work on the southbound carriageway started on Monday 6 February. 2 lanes will remain open during the day and 1 lane will remain open overnight. The scheme is due to be completed by early March.

M6 junction 33 to 34 Lancaster

Lancashire County Council’s new link road between junction 34 of the M6 and Heysham has now opened but finishing work will require lane and hard shoulder closures along the M6 through junction 34 to continue for the time being.

The following closures will take place:

• Northbound from junction 33 to 34 Thursday 2 March 2017 from 10pm to 6am.
• Southbound from junction 35 to 34 Friday 3 March 2017 from 10pm to 6am.

M6 junction 39 to junction 38, north of Tebay Services

Resurfacing is taking place north of Tebay Services with 1 lane closed during the day and 2 lanes closed overnight on the southbound carriageway. The work is due to be completed by March and a temporary 50mph speed limit in place. Tebay services entry slip Southbound road will be closed on the 28 Feb for 1 night 10pm to 6am.

M60 junction 8 to M62 junction 20 (Sale to Rochdale)

A major smart motorway scheme is taking place to cut congestion and improve journey times on parts of the M60 and the M62 in Greater Manchester. The scheme involves overnight slip road and carriageway closures, with narrow lanes and a temporary 50mph speed limit in place for the safety of drivers and road workers.

M66 junction 1 to junction 4 (Ramsbottom to Simister Island)

Resurfacing work is continuing and 4 nights of closures of the southbound carriageway between junction 1 and junction 2 are scheduled to take place before Friday (24 February) between 9pm and 5am – with clearly signed diversions in place. The scheme is due to be completed by March.

A5103 Princess Parkway

Drainage repairs along the northbound exit slip road from the A5103 onto the M60 will start on Monday (20 February) with one lane of the slip road closed and re-positioning of the bus stop. Work will take place in several phases between 8am and 6pm and midnight and 5am.

A556 Knutsford to Bowdon

Construction work to provide a £192 million dual carriageway linking junction 19 of the M6 at Knutsford and junction 7 of the M56 at Bowdon, has entered its final phase. It is due to open on 6 March. On the existing A556, another full 56 hour weekend closure will run from 9pm next Friday night (3 March) and 5am on the following Monday morning (6 March).

Other work relating to the scheme:

Monday to Friday commencing 27 February:

• A556 northbound will be closed from Mere to Bowdon roundabout overnight (9pm to 5am)
• A556 southbound will be closed from Bowdon roundabout to Bucklow Hill overnight (9pm to 5am) as above
• M56 junction 7 eastbound and westbound exit slip roads will be closed
• M56 junction 8 will be closed. Junction 7 eastbound access slip will be closed
• A56 Lymm Road to Dunham Road will be controlled by traffic signals allowing access from Lymm to Altrincham and vice versa over the same periods as above

A585 West Drive to Fleetwood Cycleway

Work is taking place on a new shared footpath and cycleway between West Drive and Fleetwood. Narrow lanes and a temporary 30mph speed limit are being used along the route to help provide a safe space for workers constructing the new shared paths. Work will take place between 7am and 7pm each day with occasional overnight work. The project is due to be completed by the end of March.

A590 Lindal in Furness

Work is being carried out to tackle flooding between Pennington Lane and Bank End Cottages. 24hr temporary traffic lights are now in place until late March.

A595 Egremont

Repairs are taking place to the safety barriers adjacent to Wyndham Place on the A595 and are due to be completed by the end of February. A contraflow system is in place on the southern approach to the Main Street/East Road roundabout.

A66 Bassenthwaite Lake

A contraflow system is in place while work is carried out on the embankment in the central reservation next to Bass Lake. The scheme is due to be completed in the spring.

A66 Thornthwaite (Osprey Site)

Flood resilience work is continuing. Full overnight – 8pm to 6am – closures of the carriageway nightly until the end of March started on Monday 6 February. Clearly-signed diversions are in place. During the day, Temporary traffic lights are in place along with a 40mph speed limit.

A66 Marron Bridge

Maintenance is underway on Marron Bridge, between Broughton Cross and Bridgefoot. Nightly overnight – 9pm to 5am – closures, with a clearly-signed diversion are in place. Due to the temporary bridging plates, a 30mph speed limit backed by speed cameras is required during the day. The project is due to be completed by March.

A66 Brough

Resurfacing and drainage work is taking place on the eastbound carriageway at Brough. Overnight lane closures will be in place, between 8pm and 6am, with traffic led through the roadworks by a contractor’s vehicle. There will also be some lane closures in place during the day.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

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The following summary of planned new and ongoing road improvements over the coming week is correct as of 24 February but could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances. All our improvement work is carried out with the… read more

The following summary of planned new and ongoing road improvements over the coming week is correct as of 24 February 2017 but could be subject to change due to weather conditions or unforeseen circumstances. All our improvement work is carried out with the aim of causing as little disruption as possible.

A38 – Claymills to Wood End lane: carriageway repairs

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A38 – Alrewas to Toyota: carriageway repairs

The northbound carriageway and all associated slip roads will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A449 – Gailey roundabout to Brewood road, carriageway repairs

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A449 – Gailey roundabout to Brewood road, carriageway repairs

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A45/A46 Tollbar roundabout underpass: street lighting repairs

The eastbound carriageway will be closed overnight for one night from 8pm on 2 March until 6am the following morning (3 March). A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A46 – Salford Priors to Oversley: carriageway repairs

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A5 – Gledrid roundabout and all approaches: carriageway resurfacing

The roundabout and all approaches will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A5 – Wall Island to Muckley Corner: carriageway resurfacing

The westbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 7pm and 6.30am from 27 February until 4 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A50 – Meir Tunnel to Stanley Matthews Way: carriageway repairs

The westbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A50 – Heron Cross to Stanley Matthews Interchange Burton Road entry slip: carriageway repairs

The westbound carriageway will be fully closed from 6am 8 February ongoing until 8pm on 7 July. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A50 – Foley Road exit slip road to Trentham road: carriageway repairs

The eastbound carriageway and all associated slip roads will be closed overnight for one night from 8pm on 27 February until 6am the following morning (28 February). A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A50 – Heron Cross exit slip road to Meir Tunnel: carriageway repairs

The eastbound carriageway and all associated slip roads will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February to 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A500 – Talke Island including exit slip roads and approaches: carriageway repairs (SRW: 3852911)

The eastside of the gyratory including all associated slip roads and approaches will be fully closed from midnight on 11 January until midnight on 30 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A500 – Talke junction: carriageway repairs

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight for one night from 8pm on 28 February until 6am the following morning (1 March). A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

A500 – Talke junction: carriageway repairs

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight for one night from 8pm on 1 March until 6am the following morning (2 March). A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M40 – junction 3a M42 to M40 link road: carriageway works

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M40 – junction 15 entry slip road: carriageway works

The northbound entry slip road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M40 – junction 16 entry slip road: carriageway work

The Northbound Entry Slip Road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27th February until 5th March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted

M40 – junction 15 to M42 junction 3a: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway and associated slip roads will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – junction 5 exit slip road: carriageway work

The northbound exit slip road will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – M6 junction 4a to M42: carriageway works

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 10pm and 5am from 27 February until 4 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – junction 3a to junction 5 including junction 4 entry slip: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway including junction 4 entry slip road will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 27 February until 3 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – junction 5 entry slip to junction 6: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – junction 6 exit slip road: carriageway work

The northbound exit slip road will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – junction 1 exit and entry slip road: carriageway work

The entry slip and exit slip roads will be closed overnight in both directions between 9pm and 5.30am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – junction 4 exit slip road: carriageway work

The southbound exit road will be closed overnight from 9pm 2 March until 6am the following morning (3 March). A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M42 – M6 junction 4a southbound to M42 junction 8 northbound: carriageway work

The link will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 2 March until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M5 – junction 4a to junction 5: carriageway works

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am on 27, 28, 1, 2 and 3 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M5 – junction 5 to junction 4a northbound: carriageway works

The carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am on 27, 28, 1, 2 and 3 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M5 – junction 6 to junction 5: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am on 27, 28, 1, 2 and 3 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M5 – junction 5 to junction 6: carriageway works

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am on 27 and 28 February. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M54 – junction 5 to junction 6: carriageway repairs

The westbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M54 – Junction 6 entry slip road: carriageway repairs

The westbound entry slip road carriageway will be closed overnight between 8pm and 6am from 3 March until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 10 to junction 7 including junction 10 and 9 entry slip roads and link from M5: carriageway works

The southbound carriageway and associated slip roads will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 11 entry slip road to junction 10 exit including M54 junction 1 entry slip road: carriageway works

The southbound carriageway and associated slip roads will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 7 to junction 10 including junction 9 entry slip and link from M5 northbound: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway and associated slip roads will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 10 entry slip road to junction 11 exit slip road: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway and associated slip roads will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – M5 to M6 junction 8 northbound (western arm): carriageway works

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 9 exit slip road: carriageway works

The northbound exit slip road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 8 to M5 southbound (western arm): carriageway works

The southbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 9 entry slip road: carriageway works

The northbound entry slip road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27 February until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 9 entry slip road: carriageway works

The southbound Entry Slip Road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 27th February until 5th March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 5 to junction 6: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 10pm and 6am from 27 February until 4 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 12 entry slip road: carriageway works

The southbound entry slip road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 28 February until 2 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 12 to junction 11: carriageway works

The southbound entry slip road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 28 February until 2 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 16 to junction 15: carriageway works

The southbound entry slip road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 6am from 2 March until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 7 entry slip road: carriageway works

The northbound entry slip road will be closed overnight between 9pm and 9am from 3 March until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

M6 – junction 7 to junction 8: carriageway works

The northbound carriageway will be closed overnight between 9pm and 9am from 3 March until 5 March. A diversion route will be clearly signposted.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

read more

The framework, which launches today (24 February 2017), has attracted 2,018 suppliers in total, with 94% of them small and medium-sized enterprises.

Digital Outcomes and Specialists 2 helps the public sector to find suppliers that can provide teams or specialists to help deliver digital projects.

How it will work

The framework replaces Digital Outcomes and Specialists 1, and has over 800 more suppliers signed up.

Digital Outcomes and Specialists 2 is split into four lots; digital outcomes, digital specialists, user research studios and user research participants.

The framework goes live today for 12 months, with a 12 month extension option.

How it meets government priorities

The government has a target of spending £1 in every £3 with small businesses by 2020.

This is equivalent to around £15 billion worth of purchases each year; a big opportunity for small businesses.

For more information about Digital Outcomes and Specialists 2, visit the Digital Marketplace at www.gov.uk/digital-marketplace.

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