£20m link road in Heywood out to bid

Photo: IBI group

Aerial view of the south Heywood area - from IBI group\'s design and access statement, via the Rochdale Council website

Expressions of interest are currently being invited for firms looking to construct the £20m link road in Heywood.

The new link road between Junction 19 of the M62 and Pilsworth Road is part of a controversial development which is expected to take around 18 years to complete.

• www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/117400/controversial-south-heywood-greenbelt-development-approved

STAR Procurement, the joint buying service for Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford councils, is managing this process on behalf of the council. The council and RDA will undertake the selection process and the contract will be with Rochdale Council.

Damian Cooke, Operations Director at RDA, said: “It’s great to see this important project take another major step forward. The construction of the junction 19 link road will be a game changer for Heywood, with 1.5m square feet of new employment space, almost 3,000 new jobs and 1,000 new homes, alongside a new primary school.

“Once the road is complete in autumn 2021, it is expected to generate £175m a year for the local economy, but we want the benefit to be felt before this, and that’s why we will be looking for companies who will maximise social value by working with local sub-contractors and employing local people, wherever possible.”

The procurement process for this project is two stage. Stage 1 will be an assessment of the suitability of the companies. Rochdale Council will then shortlist the highest scoring bidders to go forward to stage 2, the formal tender stage. Tenders will also be assessed on price, quality and social value.

An appointment is expected to be made in August 2019.