Somerset Council in the UK has entered into an eight-year contract with Kier Transportation for maintenance works across the county's 4,172-mile road network.

The scope of this project includes road maintenance, drainage, verge cutting, and winter services, which includes gritting and other emergency functions in severe weather.

The estimated value of this contract is approximately £225m.

The council's current contract with civil engineering company Milestone Infrastructure will expire at the end of March next year.

The council has separated this contract into four different segments covering various areas of service delivery in order to modify the way it delivers services.

It intends to boost efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and innovation while being more resilient to climate change and minimising its carbon output.

Kier Transportation was awarded the largest of the four contracts that covers long-term maintenance and will begin offering its services from April 2024.

Staff who are employed by Milestone Infrastructure will be moved to the new contractor as part of this process.

There will be three further multimillion-pound contracts granted in due time, which involve surface dressing, resurfacing, and additional assets.

Somerset Council Transport and Digital lead member councillor Mike Rigby said: “This is a major refresh of our network maintenance services, something we’d not seen for 27 years, so we are committed to building in resilience to climate change, ensuring a safe, serviceable and sustainable network that is fit for purpose for all users and supports the growth of the local economy.

“Now more than ever it’s vital that we have a financially resilient service that is cost-effective, as well as being flexible and agile, attracting the best people and embracing new technologies to enable innovation.”