Birse Civils has been named as preferred bidder for a £8.3m contract to build the Rushenden Relief Road and a bridge over an existing Network Rail line on the Isle of Sheppey for Kent County Council.

The link road is a part of the Queenborough & Rushenden regeneration project, led by South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).  It will help carry all commercial traffic from the new Sheppey Crossing and A249 to Neats Court.

The project involves will involve the build of two roundabouts, a short section of dual carriageway,
800m of single carriageway road construction, composite concrete and steel bridge deck,
as well as a large embankment to combat settlement problems associated with the soft ground conditions of the area.

Nick Young, Senior Project Manager at SEEDA said, “This new infrastructure is welcomed by local people, many of whom have campaigned for 30 years for a new road to direct heavy traffic away from residential areas.  It will create new jobs and open up employment opportunities in the area.”

Construction will start in late June and will take 20 months to complete.