Issued by City of York Council
Balfour Beatty has been appointed by City of York Council to deliver the first phase of the £22.7 million Access York project, which received the green light from the Department for Transport in March.
The scheme, which is one of the largest single investments in York’s transport infrastructure, involves the development of two park and ride sites on the outskirts of the city.
Congestion levels along the routes into the city centre will be cut by increasing the parking capacity to 1,100 vehicles at Askham Bar Park and Ride and building a new 600-vehicle facility at Poppleton Bar.
Junctions to the new sites will be provided off the A59 and A1036 and major improvements to the A59/A1237 roundabout will be delivered as part of the works, which will run for a total of 54 weeks from May 2013 through to May 2014.
Cllr Dave Merrett, Cabinet Member for Transport, Planning and Sustainability, said: “Access York is critical for the future economic prosperity and environmental wellbeing of the city, so the award of the contract for the two new Park & Ride sites and the A59 ring road roundabout upgrade to Belfour Beatty is a pivotal moment for the city.
“The £22.7m overall project represents one of the largest single investments in the city’s transport infrastructure since the northern ring road was built and we look forward to working with Belfour Beatty during the delivery of this scheme.”
By lowering traffic volumes through improved infrastructure, journey times will become more reliable, helping local businesses operate efficiently. This commitment to supporting the local community has been echoed in the project team’s approach to environmental impacts.
All terminal buildings will be built to the energy efficient rating (BREEAM) ‘Very Good’ and a former landfill site will be redeveloped as part of the Askham Bar expansion. As a designated Site of Importance to Nature Conservation, special care will be taken to protect the area around Askham.
Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s North East Delivery Unit, Eddie Tribe said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as principal contractor on this high profile scheme. We have a great deal of experience in working within both environmentally sensitive and congested urban areas, so we are looking forward to combining these areas of expertise on this project.
“Community engagement is also really important to us, so we will be working closely with our customer to ensure that members of the local community and the travelling public are kept well informed about forthcoming works.”
Specifically work will involve statutory service diversions, earthworks, new bus terminal, highway, footpath and subway construction.
For more information about the new Park & Ride sites please visit www.york.gov.uk/parkandride.
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