Four teams, comprising seven construction companies, have been shortlisted by Transport Scotland for the contract to upgrade M9 Junction 1a, a key part of the Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) scheme.
They comprise: Morrison Construction; Balfour Beatty / Morgan Sindall; John Sisk / Roadbridge; Sir Robert McAlpine / Costain.
The contract is expected to be worth between £46m and £65m. It will improve connections between the M9 and the new FRC, by widening the M9 at key locations, improving existing slip roads and providing new west facing slip roads.
The works also include provision of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) that will help regulate the flow of traffic approaching the FRC and Newbridge Junction, forming part of a 22 km ITS corridor that extends from M9 Junction 1a to the M90 Halbeath Junction.
The ITS will include overhead signal gantries along this corridor providing lane control, variable mandatory speed control and traffic information to drivers via variable message signs.
Transport Scotland said it received six prequalification submissions following the publication of the contract notice on 8 June 2010. The top four submissions were determined following an assessment of each applicant’s financial and technical capabilities.
The four shortlisted will now enter competitive dialogue with Transport Scotland in November to discuss their proposals, before submitting a final tender in Spring 2011. It is expected the award of the M9 Junction 1a contract will be made in July 2011 with construction beginning soon after.
The Scottish Parliament's minister for transport, Stewart Stevenson, said: "This represents another significant milestone in the procurement of the Forth Replacement Crossing and demonstrates that, subject to the approval of the Forth Crossing Bill by the Scottish Parliament, the project remains on schedule for delivery on time and within budget by 2016.”
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