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Darlington firm secure tunnel maintenance contract

North East company, Henry Williams Ltd have been awarded a long-term contract to maintain a busy road tunnel in Hertfordshire.

The deal, estimated to be worth £1m, will see the firm carry out inspection and maintenance of the A505 Weston Hills Tunnel at Baldock, for the next five years.

It is the third tunnel contact for the Darlington company, which is already responsible for the Saltash Tunnel, on the Devon-Cornwall border, and the Medway Tunnel, in Kent.

The contract was awarded by Hertfordshire County Council, and includes responsibility for emergency callouts.

It will see Henry Williams work closely with systems control company PDS, which designed and installed the tunnel’s original electrical control system.

Alan Herron, production manager for Henry Williams, said: “Highway tunnels are by nature a challenging environment and it is important to keep them in the best possible working condition to prevent system failures due to traffic pollution.”

Weston Hills, a 230-metre twin road tunnel, was opened in 2006 as part of a £43m bypass to reduce congestion in Baldock.

Stuart Pile, Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “The A505 is a busy, major road and it is essential that the Weston Hills Tunnel is maintained to the highest possible standards.

“We are confident that Henry Williams’ experience in this area makes them the right choice for the work.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .