UK-based Breedon Aggregates and Whitemountain joint venture (JV) has been awarded a contract worth up to £55m to provide and lay asphalt on the £745m Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie-Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project in Scotland.

The 50/50 JV between Breedon Aggregates and Whitemountain will lay more than 500,000t of asphalt material for the works.

The project is being constructed by AWPR Construction JV on behalf of Aberdeen Roads Limited.

Claimed to be the longest roads construction project currently under construction in the UK, the AWPR/B-T extends from Stonehaven in the south to Tipperty in the north.

"This is our largest-ever contract award and will provide the backbone of work for our contracting division over the next two years."

This project comprises 55km of dual carriageway, 22km of slip roads and 39km of side roads and accesses.

Both Breedon and Whitemountain will erect a mobile asphalt facility on site to not only service the project, but also utilise aggregates sourced from the local area.

Each of these companies will also supply offsite aggregate and sand requirements for the asphalt products and high-PSV aggregates for the main carriageway’s surface course.

Talking about the project, Breedon Aggregates Scotland CEO Alan Mackenzie said: "It will remove one of the most notorious bottlenecks in the country and deliver significant benefits to the local economy.

"This is our largest-ever contract award and will provide the backbone of work for our contracting division over the next two years. Importantly, the two mobile plants will mean we’re self-sufficient on-site.

"We look forward to working with our JV partner, Whitemountain, to provide an outstanding service on the AWPR/B-T between now and completion of the surfacing works over the next couple of years."

Whitemountain managing director Mark Kelly said: "We are delighted to be working with Breedon in the joint delivery of such a major infrastructure project, which will no doubt be of significant benefit to the region."