Kier contract to maintain Birmingham's roads extended for two years

Birmingham City Council has extended its contract with Kier to maintain the city's roads for another two years, after the Government decided not to continue the private finance initiative that has funded the work.

Kier has maintained Birmingham's highways since April 2020. The extension keeps the service running while the council procures a longer-term arrangement, and includes an option to extend for a further nine months until April 2029.

A huge network

The contract covers highway and footway maintenance, emergency repairs, street lighting, drainage, tree work, winter gritting and traffic management. The network includes more than 2,500km of road, 5,000km of footways, 846 structures, three tunnels, 94,000 street lighting columns and 76,000 highway trees.

"The state of our roads is a top priority for residents and businesses across the city," said Councillor Rob Grant, Cabinet Member for Transport.

He said a network used by buses, cyclists, wheelchair users and pedestrians needed to be in good condition for communities to be safe and welcoming and for the city to function, and thanked Kier for making sure the service continued without a break.

Ian Davies, general manager at Kier, said the extension was an opportunity to build on the progress made managing the city's infrastructure, and that the company would continue delivering safe, reliable highways services.

The council says the extension brings certainty for the next two years while a long-term contract is secured, following the Department for Transport's decision earlier this year to end the long-standing PFI contract.