Morgan Sindall : appointed to Bishopton Interchange project

Morgan Sindall has been awarded a £14.1 million contract by BAE Systems to construct the Bishopton Interchange, which will be situated between Glasgow and Greenock in Scotland.

The scheme has been commissioned as part of BAE Systems' regeneration of the former Royal Ordnance site in Bishopton. The new development, named Dargavel Village, will provide around 2,500 new homes by 2025.

The interchange project is already underway, with the firm breaking ground on 24 January 2017. It will involve the construction of Junction 29A on the M8 Motorway, with new on and off slip roads being constructed where the A8 currently passes over the M8.

In addition to realigning the A8, the extensive job will involve the creation of large embankments for the slip roads to and from the M8. Once this is complete, the slip roads will be laid along with two new roundabouts on the A8. Morgan Sindall will also deliver associated infrastructure such as drainage and street lighting, as well as cycle paths and pedestrian areas. The company is working with BAE Systems, Transport Scotland and Renfrewshire Council to ensure that a robust traffic management plan is in place throughout the work to minimise disruption to all road users and the local community.

Nick Fletcher, Managing Director of Morgan Sindall's Infrastructure business, said: 'We're excited to have started on this important project, which is an essential part of regenerating the area. Morgan Sindall has considerable capability in the highways sector with a series of celebrated road schemes completed across the UK. We're well placed to deliver the complex civil engineering characteristic of projects such as this and are looking forward to progressing it.'

Steve Fogg, Managing Director at BAE Systems Shared Services, said: 'The transformation of the former Royal Ordnance Factory is a hugely important programme for us as a business and the construction of this new motorway junction marks the next step in the development of Dargavel Village. We have worked closely with Transport Scotland and Renfrewshire Council on the design of the junction and Morgan Sindall will undertake the construction in stages over the next three years. When it opens in 2020, the junction will provide the Bishopton community with improved transport links and enhanced connectivity to the wider region.'

• For more information about this news release please contact James Delieu, Communications Officer at Morgan Sindall on 01788 538430 or email [e-mail]