Norfolk County Council has confirmed the formal award of the contract for the construction of Norwich Northern Distributor Road to the international infrastructure group Balfour Beatty.

 Toby Coke, Chairman of the Environment, Development & Transport Committee, said: 

“I am very pleased that we have at last been able to confirm the award of the construction contract to Balfour Beatty. The Government confirmation of funding ended the long, and at times frustrating, development and approval process, but now things will start to move quickly. 

“Work including some initial site clearance will be starting on site before Christmas, with the main site clearance, archaeology and utility service diversions will be underway in January followed by construction of the road itself beginning around the end of March (2016). Construction will then take place along the whole footprint of the scheme and people can look forward to the road opening by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

“Once it opens it will immediately take thousands of vehicles a day off unsuitable and congested roads in and around Norwich, bringing relief to communities that have for years endured rat-running, and vastly improving access for businesses and residents across the north-east of Norwich, Broadland and North Norfolk.” 

Norwich Northern Distributor Road is a 20 km dual carriageway running from the A47 east of Norwich (where Broadland Gate is located) to the A1067 Norwich to Fakenham Road, north of Taverham and crosses the A140 at Norwich International Airport. Works include nine new roundabouts, seven new bridges, an underpass and a more complex two level junction. Over 500 workers will be employed in the project at its peak.

Development Consent was granted in June (2015) following a six-month public examination of the scheme carried out in 2014 under Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project procedures. 

The NDR is a key ‘Transport for Norwich’ scheme, drawn from the Norwich Area Transport Strategy, and the principal infrastructure improvement in the Greater Norwich Joint Core Strategy. It is essential for the delivery of accelerated development under the City Deal. . 

Balfour Beatty (as Birse Civils) were awarded the Stage 1 Early Contractor Involvement contract in 2009. At its meeting on 6 November 2015 Norfolk County Council agreed to the Stage 2 Construction contract being awarded to Balfour Beatty, subject to Department for Transport Full Approval and the release of national funding.