UK-based engineering services provider Costain has been awarded a £100m contract by Lancashire County Council to build the M6 to Heysham link road.

The project will see a full reconstruction of Junction 34 of the M6, 4.8km of dual carriageway, 4.5km of new slip-roads and 12 vital structures, including a 200m-span crossing of the River Lune.

Work on the new project will begin in January 2014, with completion expected in 2017.

"We are delighted to have been awarded this important contract."

Once complete, the new road will connect Heysham and the Morecambe peninsula directly to the M6.

In addition to providing major economic and transport benefits to the county, the new link road will ease congestion caused by traffic travelling through Lancaster city centre, while increasing the potential for investment in the surrounding area.

Costain chief executive Andrew Wyllie said: "We are delighted to have been awarded this important contract, upgrading and refreshing the UK’s transport infrastructure to improve connectivity and asset efficiency.

"We have worked closely with the council and all local community stakeholders through the design development and planning process, and we now look forward to continuing the partnership to deliver an excellent outcome for Lancashire."

Costain’s latest contract comes on the heels a three-year early contractor involvement (ECI) partnership between Costain and Lancashire, with the project becoming the first highway programme to successfully pass through the new National Infrastructure Planning process.

Funding for the new stretch was approved in 2009 and confirmed by UK Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin last week.