Devon County Council has awarded the £9.7m contract for the replacement of the B3181 Baulk Bridge to Willis Bros.
Originally tendered last year, the contract is already underway - running for just shy of two years from 16 March 2026 to 5 November 2027 - and will see the company replace the existing B3181 bridge, which is in ‘poor condition' and is no longer economically viable to repair.
With the new bridge expected to have a 120-year design life, it will be located on a new alignment so that traffic can continue to use the existing bridge for ‘a significant time during construction' without the need to interrupt traffic flows or to provide a temporary bridge.
The new bridge is planned to be built downstream via the use of 320m of realigned carriageway and will allow for 320 metres of improved pedestrian facilities and vehicular containment that wouldn't fit on the existing bridge.
Willis Bros was one of five companies to submit a tender and one of the four that made it to the final stage, beating out Associated Asphalt Contracting, Montel Civil Engineering and Suttle Projects for the spot on the nearly £10m contract.
Full contract details can be found here.
