CECA warn North East roads could be left behind

Industry leaders have warned that the North East of England’s road infrastructure development is in danger of leaving the region on the fringe of the Northern Powerhouse if it can’t get the investment it needs as a manufacturing base for the UK.

The newly elected Chairman of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), Stephen Marshall, said: “Although the delivery of a motorway to Newcastle upon Tyne is becoming a reality with the final section of the A1(M) between Leeming and Barton near completion in North Yorkshire, it’s a sad state of affairs that the traffic will be restricted to 50mph as it passes through Tyneside on its way to Scotland and Cumbria, and that no high speed road will exist to circumnavigate the city.”

Mr Marshall is a Senior Contracts Manager for John Sisk and Son and is currently managing an A19/A1058 junction improvement scheme due on site in June. The project will deliver improved traffic flow between the Tyne Tunnel and those to and from the North Tyneside coast.

Speaking to members at the CECA annual meeting, he said: “Major projects being undertaken in the region by Highways England and Network Rail have long-term frameworks in place to deliver projects. But funding for these continues to be questioned, and the long-term delivery of many of these projects is not guaranteed. Meanwhile the National infrastructure Delivery Plan makes sweeping statements about investment in the North, with the Northern Powerhouse central to most plans.”

Outgoing CECA Chairman, Chris Dancer, has said there were some positives however to be taken from the region’s current position as two years ago, only the South East was experiencing a recovery in the groundwork industry. He said: “There was real concern in the North East that things had to get worse before they got better here. But today is certainly brighter with businesses reporting growing sales and employee numbers rising.

“A more predictable forward line of schemes is emerging around the region, and a skills shortage proving challenging.”

In an effort to increase opportunities for smaller companies, CECA will continue to lobby the North East Purchasing Organisation – which negotiates contracts for local authorities – to simplify its pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs), both in its portal and in its general entry requirements.

Mr Dancer says that while there are still faults with the system, his work on behalf of CECA has seen improvements. His work will be continued by Stephen Marshall, who will look to negotiate a portal that CECA would consider fully suitable for procurement in infrastructure.

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