Colas team starts today in keeping Lincolnshire's roads safe for key workers

From today (1 April 2020), Colas Limited will take to the streets as one of Lincolnshire County Council's new highways contractors, together with Balfour Beatty Group Limited and alongside existing contractor, WSP UK Limited. The start of works is in line with guidance from the Department for Transport and Public Health England, as the county council's new contractors will carry out essential highways maintenance over the coming weeks. This is to ensure that life-saving medicine, equipment, supplies and healthcare staff can travel to wherever they are needed most.

Worth a combined £762m, the new highways contracts will run for an initial period of six years, with the potential to be extended for a further six years. The traffic signals maintenance contract will be delivered and managed from the Colas regional office in Grantham. Colas will provide routine and emergency repair services for traffic signals in Lincolnshire.

Faical Lahmamsi, Colas Executive Director National and Regional Operations, said: "Our traffic signals team look forward to delivering a full support package of planned and reactive maintenance and we are excited at the prospect of a great collaboration with all our alliance partners, Balfour Beatty Living Places and WSP on delivering the needs of our client and the community around Lincolnshire. In the current era of COVID-19, we will monitor the situation daily on our work sites, and no work will proceed on any site that cannot comply with our COVID-19 Site Operating Procedures’’.

Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for Highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "The Government’s current policy is that works should continue where they can be undertaken in accordance with Public Health England and industry guidance. It's critical that those making necessary journeys during this pandemic can do so safely on our roads. "The council has been working with our new contractors to allow planned surface dressing, footways schemes and other maintenance to go ahead, with staff following advice on social distancing.

Roadworks will continue to be advertised on site ahead of work starting, and online at roadworks.org. Going forward, the Colas traffic signals team at Colas will work with alliance partners on the opportunity to benefit early from Colas innovations and new products in roadside technology based from investment in research and development to support Lincolnshire County Council clear ambition to keep their road systems safe.