The announcement of the start date follows six months of joint work by the city’s council and contractors to finalise the construction programme.
The Trams to Newhaven project team has worked hand in hand with the infrastructure & systems contractor (Sacyr, Farrans, Neopul JV – SFN JV) and swept path contractor (Morrison Utility Services) to finalise the plans. Ground and site investigation works have been carried out to determine conditions along the route and there has also been dialogue with residents and a survey of traders' needs.
The council said that work in finalising the plans has also demonstrated that the project budget of £207.3m reported in the final business case remains achievable.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Edinburgh’s transport convener, said: "The past six months have been invaluable in allowing the project team to work hand in hand with our contractors to put the designs and construction programme through their paces so that we're in the best possible position to get started next month. Now that we've finalised the plans, we're pressing ahead with getting everything ready to begin the first phase of work in Constitution Street alongside enabling works on Leith Walk. Given Leith is one of Scotland’s richest sites for urban archaeology, particularly Constitution Street, it’s key that we allow ample time for this aspect of work to get under way.”
SFN JV project director Alejandro Mendoza Monfort said: “On behalf of the Sacyr Farrans Neopul Joint Venture, we are delighted at the announcement. As a team, we were confident the ECI period would bring great benefits to the project through the collaboration with the council and key stakeholders. This six-month period has given all parties a great stepping stone to build on and we now look forward to delivering a successful Trams to Newhaven project, along with the wide-ranging social and economic benefits for the local community.”
Morrison Utility Services executive director Peter Carolan said: “We are delighted that the project has had final sign off from the Council. During the ECI period, we have demonstrated our ability to work in a collaborative manner, offer real depth of experience in delivering large scale utility contracts and the ability to deploy innovation which will deliver tangible benefits to the successful delivery of the project.”
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