Highways England has signed the first in a series of contracts with supply chain partners to undertake up to £8.7bn of work on England’s motorways and major A-roads.

Construction company Geoffrey Osborne has secured a £61.4m contract to deliver a major upgrade that transforms A46 at Binley in Coventry.

A £52.4m contract has been awarded to VolkerFitzpatrick to perform improvements along the A27 near Lewes in East Sussex.

Under the UK Government’s Road Investment Strategy, Highways England is developing a scheme to improve the junctions along the A46, including the Binley and Walsgrave junctions. It will also upgrade multiple junctions along a nine-mile section of the A27 between Lewes and Polegate.

In November last year, Highways England selected 13 contractors to take on £8.7bn of roadworks over the next six years.

Deals were set-up under the Routes to Market Regional Delivery Partnership, which encourages companies to improve safety and journeys on roads.

The A46 and A27 projects are part of the 18 packages, where 13 companies, known as Delivery Integration Partners (DIP), are working on selected the schemes.

Highways England major projects executive director Peter Mumford said: “These are the first of 13 companies that will be working with us to deliver these important road projects, safely, with our customers in mind and to the delivery plan.

“To achieve this we have worked hard to create alignment between Highways England and its supply chain, focusing on the behaviours that support us to achieve our shared goals.”

The A46 road upgrade is being developed in phases. It will initially start with Binley junction to avoid heavy congestion. The strategic road link stretches between the East and West Midlands and connects Coventry and Warwickshire to the motorway network.

Construction on the A46 will begin in the first calendar quarter of next year and is expected to take around 12 months to complete.

The A27 upgrade will create a new dual carriageway on a short section west of Polegate, with improved walking and cycling facilities stretching over the whole corridor.

Construction of the A27 upgrade is scheduled to also start in the first few months of next year.