Galliford Try has taken on an £89.2m road scheme in Somerset, six months after the original contractor walked away from the job.
Work stalled on the Banwell bypass in March when Alun Griffiths informed North Somerset Council it could no longer deliver the works for an undisclosed reason. The contractor, which was appointed in 2021, had already started enabling works.
Galliford Try is already engaged in the first phase of a two-stage contract to finish the job, on which it will complete preparatory works and remaining detailed design.
The council will decide whether to carry the firm over for the main contract this autumn, after which work would start on site. If Galliford Try takes on the full project, main construction work is expected to complete in winter 2026.
Council leader Mike Bell said the second phase was on track to start by the end of the year, adding that working with Galliford Try had so far been “incredibly positive”.
He said: “I’d also like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding while we worked to secure a new contract and also Homes England for its continued support. We’re raring [to] go and to get spades in the ground as soon as we can.”
Planning permission was granted in March 2023. Land assembly completed last month, following Department for Transport approval of compulsory purchase orders in January this year.
The scheme aims to ease traffic at key points on the route between the A38 and Weston-super-Mare.
Part of the £89.2m allocated for the project is funded by Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund, a grant for infrastructure to support housing in areas with high demand.
