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£100 Million Kent Road PFI

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Oct 5, 2004

TPS Schal has been awarded a contract to provide management services for the A249 road Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme in Kent.

Renowned for projects such as the British Library, National Assembly for Wales and Portcullis House, TPS Schal has been broadening its project management horizons in recent years into roads and infrastructure.

Most notably, it was responsible for the complex project management of the remodelling of Trafalgar Square in London, a successful project which was opened by London Mayor Ken Livingstone and architect Lord Foster last summer.

More recently, the firm has been awarded a contract to provide management services for the A249 road Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme in Kent.

The Highways Agency awarded the £100 million project to Sheppey Route in early 2004.

This design, build and operate contract involves managing and maintaining the 17 km road between Stockbury and Sheerness Port for 30 years.

It also includes the construction of a 1.25 km long new high level bridge over the Swale linking North Kent and the Isle of Sheppey and more than 5 km of new dual carriageway.

TPS Schal was engaged by Carillion Private Finance to manage Sheppey Route Limited (SRL), the company formed to deliver the project.

This included the assignment of a senior project director to SRL, plus other staff to manage the technical, financial and performance aspects of the project, and the interface with the lenders and other specialist advisors.

SRL has also employed Carillion Construction Ltd as the design and build contractor and Carillion Highways Maintenance as the operation and maintenance contractor.

Graham Friel, major projects director for TPS Schal, said: "TPS Schal does have considerable experience in transport and infrastructure and the current A249 PFI/DBFO project is one example.

"This GBP100m Highways Agency investment will provide the first fixed link on to the Isle of Sheppey, relieving the chronic traffic problems associated with the existing lifting bridge and facilitating regeneration of the island and the wider area." Construction of the viaduct and new dual carriageway commenced earlier this year and the new road, including the new viaduct, will be operational in summer 2006.