Transport Scotland has awarded two trunk road maintenance contracts, worth a combined £230m, following the removal of the court-imposed suspension.

Infrastructure maintenance companies BEAR Scotland and Scotland Transerv have secured contracts for the North-West and South-West units respectively.

The companies were initially awarded contracts in October 2012; however, the agreements were shelved after Amey, an unsuccessful bidder, contested the decision in court.

Scotland Transport Minister Keith Brown said that the new contracts will directly support around 500 operational and professional jobs in the country.

"They will also contribute significantly to the economy through the wider supply chain, with local firms benefiting on a regular basis," he noted.

Both operating companies will be responsible for inspecting the trunk roads within their units to make sure the routes remain safe and well maintained.

General maintenance works, including salting and snow clearing, grass cutting and weed control, gully cleaning and the repair of street lighting and traffic signals will be part of the contracts.

"Infrastructure maintenance companies BEAR Scotland and Scotland Transerv have secured contracts for the North-West and South-West units respectively."

The contract awarded to Scotland Transerv, a JV of Balfour and Mouchel, includes 681km of roads and 1,912 structures,

Bear Scotland, the Ringway, Babtie Jacobs, Breedon Aggregates JV, will be responsible for overseeing 814 miles of trunk roads in the North-West region.

The mobilisation period for the contracts is expected to begin with immediate effect, while a formal commencement will be on 1 April 2013.

"We are confident these bids will continue to deliver both a high quality and value for money trunk road maintenance service," Brown added.

The contracts will run for five years with a scope for further five-year extension, and are expected to bring improvements to the delivery of trunk road maintenance in Scotland.