Widening for key section of UK’s A11 route complete

Contractor Balfour Beatty has completed the €132.4 million (£105 million) upgrade of the last remaining single carriageway section of the A11. This section of the route runs between Barton Mills in Suffolk and Thetford in Norfolk. The work involved dualling nearly 15km of carriageway on behalf of the Highways Agency.
December 12, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
New A11 looking north, with the Elveden Memorial in the distance

Contractor 1146 Balfour Beatty has completed the €132.4 million (£105 million) upgrade of the last remaining single carriageway section of the A11. This section of the route runs between Barton Mills in Suffolk and Thetford in Norfolk. The work involved dualling nearly 15km of carriageway on behalf of the 2309 Highways Agency.

Main construction on the project started in January 2013 and the completed dual carriageway was officially opened by the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin MP, at a ceremony attended by local stakeholders.

The scheme involved the widening of the strategic route linking Suffolk with Norfolk to dual two-lane standard along its length and included the construction of a 5.8km bypass to the north of Elveden village in Suffolk. It has also involved the construction of six major new bridge structures, forming either underpasses or overbridges.

330,000tonnes of earth were moved during the project, which also involved laying around 140,000tonnes of asphalt, lifting 1,500 tonnes of bridge steel work and pouring 4000 tonnes of concrete. Over 32km of drainage pipes and 50,000m3 of earth were replaced with gravel to take water away from the carriageway.

The scheme achieved 20% savings over its original projected cost as a result of nearly €25.2 million (£20 million) of savings by Balfour Beatty, including the avoidance of national grid and gas infrastructure diversions and the retention of more of the original A11 than originally anticipated. Some landscaping work will continue in the New Year and is due to be completed by the end of March 2015.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • India’s capital highway project will improve transport connections
    October 10, 2017
    Huge numbers of construction machines as well as plant and equipment are working overtime, backed by mammoth manpower, to meet the targeted completion deadline of March 2018 for India’s Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE). The 135km arterial route is being built with six lanes and surrounds India’s National Capital, Delhi, its National Capital Region (NCR) and the industrially developed North Indian states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
    Read More
  • Work underway on major UK road widening scheme
    January 14, 2013
    Work on a major US$241.9 million (£150m) road widening scheme in the East Midlands region of England has started near Nottingham. The works will focus on an 11.26km (seven mile) stretch of the A453 between M1 Junction 24 and the A52 Nottingham Ring Road – a major link serving Nottingham, the M1 and East Midlands Airport.
    Read More
  • Balfour Beatty wins Scottish transport contract
    August 26, 2016
    Balfour Beatty has won a £35 million deal by Perth and Kinross Council to deliver the first phase of the Perth Transport Futures Project. Under the terms of the deal, Balfour Beatty will construct a new grade separated junction on the A9 dual carriageway as well as a new link road enabling access to development land to the west of Perth. This is the first of four phases of the Perth Transport Futures project, which aims to reduce congestion, boost transportation in the area and develop the local economy.
    Read More
  • The Mersey Gateway bridge project continues on schedule
    October 18, 2016
    Work continues on the 2.3km Mersey Gateway signature bridge project close to Liverpool in the UK. David Arminas reports on some of the construction highlights. Under construction is a cable-stayed structure with three towers that will span the Mersey River’s expansive mud flats between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes near Liverpool. Including the approach viaducts on each side, it will be 2.3km long with a river span of 1km. The main bridge deck will be reinforced concrete. The 80m-high central tower will b
    Read More

Highlighted Content