Costain A30
The contract involves upgrading an 8.7-mile road section between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross. Credit: Spencer Means.

British construction and engineering firm Costain has secured a £210m contract to upgrade a section of the A30 road in the UK.

Awarded by Highways England, the contract involves upgrading an 8.7-mile section between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross in Cornwall.

Under the project, Costain will expand the A30 section from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway, as well as build new grade-separated junctions, slip roads and bridges.

Detailed design works are scheduled to commence this month, while construction works are set to begin in the following months.

The upgraded section is expected to open for traffic by the end of 2023.

Costain also announced that its joint venture company Skanska Costain Strabag has secured approval from High Speed Two (HS2) to start the detailed design and construction of Phase I of the high speed railway.

Both contract updates come at a time when the UK is battling to contain the spread of Covid-19 by implementing lockdown measures and restrictions on movement.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country is now nearing 100,000. The disease has killed more than 12,800 people in the UK.

Last month, Costain made certain adjustments to mitigate the financial impact of the pandemic. The company reduced its cost base and deferred capital expenditure.

The board and senior leadership also agreed to trim salaries and directors’ fees by 30% for up to three months.

Costain partnered with Austrian traffic technology group Swarco last year to install advanced digital road signs in UK.