Somerset Council has awarded three new contracts for essential road maintenance services as well as improvements on its network, worth a total of £140m.
The new unitary authority has awarded four-year contracts with Kiely Bros Ltd and Heidelberg Materials - both worth £50m - to deliver surface treatment services and resurfacing services respectively.
Another four-year contract has been awarded to Octavius Infrastructure Ltd to deliver new infrastructure assets, including traffic calming and active travel measures, with an expected spend of around £40m.
The deals were approved by the council’s Executive last month.
The highway authority also recently signed a new eight-year contract with Kier Transportation Ltd worth £225m to deliver essential core maintenance across its 4,172-mile road network.
The agreement covers key maintenance works – including road repairs, drainage, verge cutting and winter service, such as gritting and other emergency functions in adverse weather.
Somerset's current contract with Milestone Infrastructure comes to an end at the end of March 2024 and since 2021 it has been engaged in a tendering process involving suppliers from across the UK.
In a change to the way it delivers services, the council divided up the existing contract into four separate contracts covering different areas of service delivery.
The aim was 'to increase efficiency, cost effectiveness and innovation whilst being more resilient to climate change with a reduced carbon output'.
Cllr Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s lead member for transport and digital said the contracts signal 'a new era'.
He added: 'We are committed to building in resilience to climate change, ensuring a safe, serviceable and sustainable network that is fit for purpose for all users and supports the growth of the local economy.
'Now more than ever it’s vital that we have a financially resilient service that is cost effective, as well as being flexible and agile, attracting the best people and embracing new technologies to enable innovation.'
