Balfour Beatty welcomes decision after pre-construction work on the 28km dual carriageway

Balfour Beatty has welcomed the government's approval of a road project in the Midlands worth up to £409m.

The contractor was appointed to the A46 Newark to Widmerpool project in 2004 and has done extensive pre-construction work on the road under the Early Contractor Involvement scheme. The Department for Transport finally gave it the go-ahead this week. It has estimated the project will cost between £322m and £409m.

Ian Tyler, chief executive of Balfour Beatty, said: "We are delighted that the construction of this important scheme can go ahead. We look forward to working with the Highways Agency and to delivering on another Early Contractor Involvement scheme."

Work is now expected to start on the construction of the 28km two-lane dual carriageway in early 2009 and anticipated to complete in late 2011.