Maidenhead & Windsor

Following the receipt of a £7m grant to repair and refurbish the Windsor and Eton relief road and Eton / Slough spur road, the Royal Borough has appointed Atkins as lead consultant.

Atkins will provide Windsor and Maidenhead design and works supervision for the project, which will involve essential repairs and aesthetic improvements, including lining the road with mature trees, to the borough's busiest road. The road runs from junction 6 of the M4 to the Clarence Road roundabout in Windsor.

The multinational engineering and design consultancy was selected following a Government Homes and Communities Agency tender selection process.

Cllr Colin Rayner, lead member for Windsor and Maidenhead highways and streetcare, said the council decided to appoint Atkins because they offered the best combination of price, experience, professional standards and ability to deliver within required timescales. A key priority throughout the work will be to minimise traffic delays, and penalties have been set in the contract should the project not be delivered on time, to standard or on budget.

He said: "We welcome Atkins as our consultants. This is the biggest highways project undertaken by the Royal Borough and we are looking forward to their working with us to provide a 21st century road for Windsor."

The revamp of the Windsor and Maidenhead relief road - which is the main route into the borough for visitors and business traffic and by far the busiest in the borough, carrying up to 22 million vehicles a year - is expected to start in late spring next year.

Essential maintenance work will include renovating and upgrading bridges, waterproofing, resurfacing and erecting safer barriers.

This will also be an opportunity to bring the road up to current standards with lighting, signage and landscaping being updated. One of the main aims of the scheme is to reduce noise levels for residents and motorists.

Windsor and Maidenhead Cllr Rayner added: "The Windsor and Eton Relief Road was built in the early 70s and is now in desperate need of repairs to ensure it remains safe and to meet today's more stringent safety standards. This project will mean a state-of-the-art road that will better meet the needs of local commuters and visitors - and smarten up the gateway to Windsor!"

The £7m project will be funded by the South East England Partnership Board / Department for Transport Regional Transport Fund following a successful bid by the council.

The project is scheduled to be completed by December 2011, well before the Queen's diamond jubilee in 2012 and the 2012 Olympics when the relief road will be a key transport link to Dorney Rowing Lake, site of the Olympic rowing events.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead