Five joint venture rivals are tendering for a £106m road deal in East Anglia.

The line-up for upgrading the A11 between the Fiveways roundabout in Suffolk and the roundabout at the southern end of the Thetford bypass in Norfolk features contractors in tandem with consultants.

The runners are: Costain/Halcrow; May Gurney/Faber Maunsell; Birse/Mouchel; Sir Robert McAlpine/Atkins; and Skanska/URS.

A preferred bidder is expected to be announced by the end of this year.

The job entails dualling a stretch of the A11, which is the last remaining single carriageway section on the route to Norwich, which provides an important link between Norfolk and the rest of eastern England, carrying out improvements to the Fiveways roundabout, a bypass for the village of Elveden and access bridges to help farming operations at Canada Drive and Chalk Hill farm.

The project is expected to take 2 years to complete.