Cumberland Council has awarded a local firm a three-year resurfacing contract valued at up to £55m.
The unitary authority, which came into being last April, said it had awarded the substantial project to DSD Construction Limited, ‘a family-owned business rooted in Carlisle since its establishment in 1993’.
A comprehensive resurfacing programme includes all parts of the council’s area, it said.
Under the framework agreement Cumberland will allocate at least £9.5m for the first year for ‘various tasks’, including road resurfacing, installation of new road markings, upgrading ironworks, pothole repairs and routine maintenance.
As part of the contract, DSD will also contribute to key social value initiatives, including providing training to the council’s highway’s team, ‘to broaden their skill sets and enhance technical expertise’.
‘This strategic investment aims to empower the Cumberland team to handle a wider range of infrastructure projects in-house, thereby sustaining overall efficiency,’ the council said.
Council leader Mark Fryer said: ‘By engaging local talent, we are ensuring that the investment remains within our community.
‘Our commitment to retaining resources locally, as outlined in our Council Plan, is reinforced by awarding up to £55m to a local company.’
DSD Construction operations director Martin Tweddle said: As one of the largest SME employers in the region, it’s fantastic to see Cumberland Council investing so heavily in the local economy whilst securing and enhancing local employment and enhancing local employment and supply chain opportunities.'
The council has recently published a plan, as required by the Department for Transport, setting out additional resurfacing and other highway maintenance work that it is delivering in 2023-24 and 2024-25 with what the Government says is ‘reallocated HS2 funding’
It said it will resurface an additional 49 miles and provide improvements to an additional 746 miles overall.
