Construction on the £90m project could begin construction before the end of the year. The main construction contract was advertised at £58m.
The 5.5km (3.5-mile) road will unlock key sites for housing and development as well as relieve traffic congestion in the town centre and improve east-west connectivity. The scheme links the A536 Macclesfield Road to the north with the A534 Sandbach Road to the west.
Councillor Don Stockton, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for environment, said: “I am pleased to be able to announce that the council has appointed Graham Construction to build the Congleton Link Road.
“Graham Construction is a well-known, highly-reputable firm with an enviable track record in delivering prestige projects in the area of civil engineering and road building.
“The Congleton Link Road represents another major highways scheme in the ongoing programme of infrastructure development across the borough. This will help to unlock and support further economic growth, new investment and jobs and business opportunities for the area.”
Leo Martin, managing director of Graham Construction (civil engineering), said: “This is a real coup for us and we are relishing the prospect of working with Cheshire East Council on this important project that will bring economic and social regeneration to the town and the Congleton area. We appreciate that traffic has been a considerable challenge in the town and the link road will serve to vastly reduce congestion. “
The council is waiting for final funding approval from the Department for Transport but is aiming to have the new road open to traffic in late 2020.
Core elements of the project will involve cutting the road 8m deep into mudstone in a 25-metre high escarpment before crossing the River Dane with an 85-metre bridge and landing on a 12-metre high embankment founded on piled alluvium.
Two further road bridge crossings and two underpasses will be constructed while 3.5km of realigned and new local roads represent an further part of the programme. This will require landscaping and environmental mitigation to accommodate great crested newts, bats and ancient woodland.
“There are a range of civil engineering challenges associated with this project particularly in an area subject to a high water table and, which requires environmental sensitivity,” Leo Martin said.
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