Gloucestershire County Council has appointed Galliford Try to further progress the M5 Junction 10 Improvements scheme.
The highway authority said Galliford Try will support its application for a Development Consent Order (DCO), ‘while also ensuring the scheme delivers best value for money and is achieved within budget and on time’.
Galliford Try will also work alongside consultants Atkins to shape the scheme design.
The £249m scheme is being funded through the council’s successful bid to Homes England's Housing Infrastructure Fund.
If approved, the project will see the addition of a new slip road onto the M5 southbound and a new slip road off the M5 northbound, to create an all-movements signalised junction.
The council said the new junction will provide access in all directions, unlocking housing and employment opportunities at sites proposed for development including west and north-west Cheltenham.
The scheme also includes a new link road connecting the A4019 to the B4634 in west Cheltenham and widening the A4019 Tewkesbury Road.
David Gray, cabinet member for environment and planning, said: ‘We are delighted to award the design contract to Galliford Try. We are confident that their expertise and experience will ensure the successful delivery of this crucial element of the project.
‘Their approach to health and safety, programme, carbon and social value aspirations demonstrates a strong alignment to the council’s own values and behaviours.’
David Lowery, managing director of Galliford Try’s Highways Business, said: ‘This is a great opportunity to work with Gloucestershire County Council, a customer that is passionate about tackling the climate challenge head on, as well as creating enhanced connectivity between communities, a passion we are very much aligned too.’
When the council first published a contract notice for the project in 2021, it gave the cost as £200m, the planned commencement date as July 2022 and the completion date as November 2025.
