VolkerHighways is set to deploy the latest technologies on a new highway maintenance and improvements contract with Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Council worth up to £70m over 10 years.

Working with the council’s Highway and Traffic Service, the firm will deliver routine and planned highway works including safety repairs, resurfacing and surface treatments, as well as emergency response to road incidents, winter service, improvement schemes, road markings and temporary traffic management.

It will also provide gully cleansing, rural verge maintenance, event traffic management and drainage maintenance works.

The contract will start on 1 April 2019 and run for seven years, with a possible extension of three further years, which would take its total value to £70m.

Mark Shelford, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: ‘It is essential that all our critical services are delivered in an efficient and effective manner and this contract allows the council to maintain and improve its highway network, keep traffic flowing and make sure residents are kept fully informed when road works are under way.

‘VolkerHighways will be using latest technologies to repair road surfaces and will be using operating systems that provide real-time information on repairs for greater efficiency. A new fleet will be made up of the latest low emission compliant vehicles as part of our commitment to a cleaner and greener city.’

Alistair Thompson, managing director of VolkerHighways, said: ‘We are delighted to have been awarded this new contract, which will allow us to continue our work maintaining areas of historical interest and outstanding natural beauty.’

Throughout the contract, VolkerHighways will create two new local apprenticeships every two years, building on its five per cent club commitment of ensuring that 5% of its workforce are graduates, apprentices or sponsored students. More than 90% of the workforce and supply chain required to deliver the contract will be sourced locally.

BANES looks after 1,274km of roads, and on average spreads 2,800 tonnes of road salt each winter. It routinely cleanses 24,000 highway gullies and annually fills on average 4,700 potholes.

The previous contract with Atkins, which ran from 2008, was taken over by Skanska in 2013.