£22.5m Inverness West Link stage 1 contract awarded

9th March 2016

The Inverness West Link project has reached another very important milestone in its delivery. The Highland Council has awarded the Inverness West Link Stage 1 and the Canal Parks Enhancement contract to Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd with a value of £22.5M. The Council is content with the award value as it represents an extremely competitive price and relates well to estimates prepared in advance of the tender.

Arrangements are in hand with Wills Bros to allow an early start on the works to be progressed. The works are scheduled to be completed in late 2017.

Welcoming the award of the contract Cllr Audrey Sinclair, Chair of the Highland Council's Planning Development and Infrastructure committee said:"This award of contract is a major step which will see the construction of the final phase of the Inverness Southern Distributor Road linking the Dores Road roundabout to Glenurquhart Road. It will provide an alternative east-west route across the city of benefit to locals and the wider Highlands. It will also help relieve city centre congestion and provide new active travel routes across to the sports facilities at the Bught Park from the east of the city."

Welcoming the award of contract, Provost and Leader of City of Inverness and Area, Cllr Helen Carmichael added:"This road has been in plans for Inverness for over 40 years and will help to facilitate the city's continued growth. The new facilities at Canal Park will provide state of the art facilities for rugby and other sports to the benefit of Inverness and the wider Highlands."

Margaret Davidson, Leader of the Highland Council said:“This will provide a welcome boost to the local economy at a time when there are job losses in other sectors such as Oil and Gas. The Council’s £1Bn capital programme will continue to support the Highland economy and create the conditions for future prosperity. The West Link project is a key part of helping deliver infrastructure for growth as part of the Council’s Highland First commitments.”

PHOTO
Cllr Audrey Sinclair, Chair of Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee; Provost and Leader of City of Inverness and Area, Cllr Helen Carmichael; Jonathan Wills, Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd; and Colin Howell, Highland Council’s Head of Infrastructure at Dores Road roundabout Inverness.