A NEW contractor has been appointed to maintain Somerset’s 4,172 miles of roads over the next eight years.

Somerset Council has signed a £225 million, eight-year contract with Kier Transportation Ltd to deliver core maintenance across the road network from next April.

The agreement covers key maintenance works, including road repairs, drainage, verge cutting, and winter services such as gritting and other emergency functions in adverse weather.

The current contract with Milestone Infrastructure comes to an end next March and since 2021 the council has been engaged in a tendering process involving suppliers from across the UK.

In a change to the way it delivers services, the authority has divided the existing contract into four separate bundles covering different areas of service delivery.

It aims to increase efficiency, cost effectiveness, and innovation while being more resilient to climate change with a reduced carbon output.

Kier Transportation, which is part of the £3.4 billion Kier Group plc, put in a successful bid for the largest contract covering term maintenance and will start delivering services from April 1, 2024.

Bids were tested across a range of criteria, including value for money, carbon reduction, and bidders’ commitment to social value across the county.

Many of the staff currently operating under Milestone will transfer their employment to the new contractor, ensuring the council holds on to valuable experience and expertise.

Three other multi-million-pound contracts covering resurfacing, surface dressing, and new assets will also be awarded in due course.

Somerset executive Cllr Mike Rigby said: “We are really delighted to have Kier as our new partner maintaining our network, they met all our key criteria and have some exciting proposals about taking the service further in terms of carbon reduction, efficiency, and maximising social value for our communities.

“We have had a fantastic working relationship with Milestone and we would like to thank the team for their hard work and dedication, but with the conclusion of the contract there was an opportunity to do something new.

“This is a major refresh of our network maintenance services, something we had not seen for 27 years, so we are committed to building in resilience to climate change, ensuring a safe, serviceable, and sustainable network that is fit for purpose for all users and supports the growth of the local economy.

“Now more than ever it is vital that we have a financially resilient service that is cost effective, as well as being flexible and agile, attracting the best people and embracing new technologies to enable innovation.”

The council is now working closely with Milestone to ensure the transfer process over the coming months was as smooth as possible.