Work on the £18million Third Don Crossing is set to commence in the next few days as construction giant Balfour Beatty confirmed it won the contract.
The firm, which recently rejected a takeover bid by rival Carillion, said its contract to build the bridge was worth £14.3million.
Balfour Beatty will be responsible for the construction of the crossing over the River Don, a smaller bridge across a mill lade and 1.5 miles of road, including a stretch of new carriageway linking to the road network north of the river, and the realignment and upgrade of roads to the south.
The main feature of the project is the 295 ft span using twin open box steel girders supporting a reinforced concrete deck.
Finance, Policy and Resources convener Councillor Willie Young said: “The Third Don Crossing is a key project identified in Aberdeen’s Strategic Infrastructure Plan. We are pleased to be working with Balfour Beatty to deliver this significant piece of infrastructure for the city.”
George Hood, Balfour Beatty Managing Director for Northern Scotland, said: “Balfour Beatty has a strong track record in successfully completing vital regional road schemes across the country. We are delighted to be awarded the Third Don Crossing contract and we look forward to working with Aberdeen City Council to deliver this important project.”
Balfour said construction work is due to start on site as early as this week or in early September.
The company is also part of the Connect Roads consortium behind the development of the £745million Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR). It’s partner in the Aberdeen bypass project, Carillion, last week threw in the towel on a proposed £3billion merger between the two firms after Balfour rejected a number of approaches.
The new bridge is expected to be open to the public by late 2015.