Highways England has signed up 11 firms under a four-year framework arrangement for all resurfacing works that can value up to £3.3bn.

The arrangement will enable Highways England to award contracts to rehabilitate poor road surfaces across England’s motorway and major A roads over the next four years without going through the lengthy bidding processes.

Highways England Operations executive director Nick Harris said: “We know that drivers want and deserve good quality, safe roads, which is why since 2015 when Highways England was created we have replaced more than 4,400 miles of road surface.

“This new arrangement will help us tackle uneven road surfaces faster, in a more cost effective and efficient way – keeping journeys safer and offering smoother journeys for the millions of drivers who use our roads every day.”

“We are nearly three quarters complete now with the main bulk of the work digging out the 80,000 cubic metres of soil as the last major milestone.”

The arrangement is also expected to facilitate better collaboration between the local authorities and the contractors.

In another development, Highways England also announced that construction works on the North East’s triple decker junction in North Tyneside has entered its final phase.

The £75m project, which involves lowering the A19 under the A1058 Coast Road and Coast Road roundabout, is 70% complete.

Three new bridges were constructed under this project, including one to support the A1058 Coast Road over the Coast Road roundabout and two to carry the Coast Road roundabout above the lowered A19.

Highways England assistant project manager Steven Cox said: “This is a busy junction used by more than 80,000 drivers every day and we have produced a video to show the incredible transformation that has already taken place.

“We are nearly three quarters complete now with the main bulk of the work digging out the 80,000 cubic metres of soil as the last major milestone.”