A DARLINGTON construction company has won a bid to make a bridge for a project to redevelop a busy North-East roundabout in the hope of reducing congestion.

Highways England is carrying out the major junction improvement scheme at the A19 Testo's junction, in South Tyneside.

Part of the scheme involves a new £141.4m bridge at the centre of the flyover.

Darlington-based manufacturing company Cleveland Bridge UK has now secured the contract to build the bridge.

It was awarded the project by smart infrastructure solutions company Costain Ltd.

Chris Droogan, managing director of Cleveland Bridge UK, said: “We are highly active in markets across the world, but it is always satisfying to secure projects in our home region of the North-East, particularly those that will bring significant benefits to the efficiency of the area’s transport network.

“We are also very proud to continue our long-term collaborative relationships with Highways England and Costain and look forward to the successful delivery of this project.”

The 1,393te weathering grade road bridge will be fabricated as a series of 25 paired girders at Cleveland Bridge UK’s 27,000 square metre production facility, 40 miles south of the project site.

The scale of Cleveland Bridge UK’s factory will also enable it to undertake a test assembly of the structure, which should ensure a more efficient final installation on site later this year.

Cleveland Bridge UK is well-known for the production of steel road bridges for major infrastructure projects, dating back to its formation in 1877, not only in the North-East, but around the world.

It is renowned for producing structures crossing rivers and road networks ranging from the iconic Tyne Bridge and Sydney Harbour bridges to, more recently, the Lincoln Eastern Bypass and the largest road improvement project in England, the A14 Cambridge to Huntington.

The company has also been involved in projects including the Burj Al Arab, the Wembley Stadium Arch, Canary Wharf Towers and the Thames Flood Barrier.

The Highways England scheme is aimed at alleviating traffic congestion on the redeveloped roundabout that connects the A19 with the A184.

The Testo's roundabout suffers from severe delays, and it is predicted that by 2033 it will be used by about 83,400 vehicles every day.

The flyover is part of a five-year £15bn programme by Highways England to improve journeys between the main North-East arterial route and the surrounding areas.

To date, two additional lanes on both northbound and southbound sides of the roundabout have been completed, which has also created the space for the construction of the flyover, which includes the installation of more than 130 concrete piles.

Work on the flyover is expected to take place this summer.

It will be done in three separate stages.

It is expected to be in position by the end of the summer, when it will be ready for the road to be built on it.

Cleveland Bridge UK is based in Yarm Road.