THE CONTRACT for a package of traffic improvements for construction vehicles on the HS2 high speed rail project has been won by Buckingham Group Contracting.
The work, for schemes in Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, includes completion of Chipping Warden relief road. The A361, which runs through Chipping Warden, is the approved route for construction traffic to access one of HS2’s main construction sites in Northamptonshire.
The contact also includes improvements at two road junctions and in nearby Wardington village as well as at the M40 junction 11.
“We are naturally delighted to have secured this strategically important project that will serve the requirements of HS2 and leave a lasting legacy of improvements in terms of road safety, air quality and reduced traffic congestion for the local community,” said Simon Hyams, construction director (HS2) at Buckingham Group, which is based at Stowe near Buckingham.
HS2, which will provide a high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham, is expected to generate around £92 billion in benefits to the UK economy as a whole. The new railway will take intercity trains off the existing lines, create more space for extra commuter trains and take lorries off the road as freight moves to rail.
Area project director Uma Shanker said: “The Chipping Warden relief road project is important to local residents, and we are really pleased to welcome Buckingham Group on board to deliver this piece of work.
“We have worked closely with Northamptonshire County Council on this initiative and it will create a positive legacy for the local area. We are committed to continuing to work in partnership and see this project come to life to benefit the whole community.”
Cllr Jason Smithers, the county council’s cabinet member for transport, highways and environment, added: “The village of Chipping Warden has been in need of a relief road for many years but with the associated traffic with the construction of HS2 this is now even more necessary.
“Although the bypass has been a priority for the county council it had been very difficult to obtain the funding required. We are pleased that work on the project can now restart.”
