Esh wins £6.7M contract to widen A1290 in support of IAMP in Sunderland

Esh Construction has been awarded a £6.7M contract to widen the A1290 in Sunderland in support of the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP).IAMP is a joint project between Sunderland City and South Tyneside councils to attract advanced manufacturing businesses and support economic growth in the region. It is on a 150ha site north of Sunderland’s Nissan car plant and close to the A19(T) and has been backed by £42M from the government’s Local Growth Fund and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.The infrastructure improvement contract was awarded to Esh through the North East Procurement Organisation (Nepo) and will be delivered in partnership with IAMP LLP, a a limited liability partnership established by South Tyneside Council and Sunderland City Council to promote and deliver IAMP.Under the contract, Esh will dual 1,550m of the existing carriageway between the A1290/A19 junction and just beyond the southern entrance of International Drive within IAMP.The work will be split across three main construction areas which have been phased to minimise lane closures and use of temporary traffic lights. The majority of the work will be constructed offline before being tied into the existing road infrastructure.Esh will also deliver accompanying drainage system works, including the construction of supporting swales and attenuation ponds.Street lighting, traffic signals, pedestrian crossings and landscaping works will also be delivered.Two-way traffic flows will be maintained throughout the construction works with some works required under traffic signal control. Traffic management will be monitored during busy shift changes to accommodate adjacent IAMP businesses.The new dual carriageway is expected to be delivered in summer 2025 and will connect the northern area of IAMP site to Nissan, Envision AESC and Sunderland City Council’s gigafactory – an electric vehicle (EV) hub called EV36Zero.National Grid has also commenced work on a new 275kV substation on the site to support the gigafactory and future developments at IAMP.Esh divisional director Steven Garrigan said: “This latest award builds on our successful delivery of the infrastructure for the first phase of IAMP which completed in 2020.“IAMP is a huge investment by two local authorities which will deliver a world-class destination for advanced manufacturing and create thousands of jobs for the region. We are proud to be creating greater transport access for businesses while helping to support the enhanced economic growth of the Sunderland and South Tyneside areas.”Sunderland City Council leader Michael Mordey said: “IAMP is already home to key automotive and advanced manufacturing businesses and this upgrade to vital highways infrastructure will further increase the attractiveness of this key strategic site, which brings together land in both Sunderland and South Tyneside as part of the North East Investment Zone.”South Tyneside Council director of place and communities Stuart Wright said: “This investment in highways infrastructure is key to opening up the Northern Employment Area at IAMP, as we continue to develop this key site in partnership – creating new employment opportunities for residents from South Tyneside, Sunderland and across the region.”Like what you’ve read?