Skanska has received an extra £24m to build a new motorway after a legal challenge delayed the £679m project’s start date.
The funding was allocated under the company’s contract with National Highways to build the new dual carriageway on the A428 between Milton Keynes and Cambridge. Skanska received the extra money because of the impact of inflation on costs after the delay.
Skanska won the work, which involves upgrading 16km of road between the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire and the Caxton Gibbet roundabout in Cambridgeshire, two years ago.
However, the planned start date was postponed following a legal challenge by campaigners from the Transport Action Network, who argued the project would lead to a loss of hedgerow biodiversity and affect important species.
His application to appeal the refusal of permission for a judicial review was rejected by the Court of Appeal in May, and main construction can now begin before the end of the year, with the scheme open to traffic in 2027.
The project will provide improvements to the junction, including a new three-level junction at the Black Cat roundabout to allow free traffic on the A1 and the new carriageway.
As well as avoiding delays and increasing capacity along the route, it is designed to unlock potential long-term economic growth in the wider Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge area.
