East Riding of Yorkshire Council has officially awarded the main construction contract to create a new £45m relief road for Howden, to Sheffield-based contractor, Aureos.

Procured under YORcivil Major Works, the Howden Relief Road scheme is designed to reduce congestion by diverting heavy traffic away from the town centre, reducing accidents, lowering carbon emissions and improving travel times.

Due to begin work on site in July, Aureos will build a new link road and four roundabouts across farmland, between the A614 Thorpe Road and the B1228 Station Road. The project is scheduled to take two years to complete.

Early enabling works were undertaken by Hull firm PBS Construction, beginning in July last year, which included the creation of access roads and a compound pavement for the new contractor, as well as alternative access for local farm traffic.

The relief road forms part of a broader planning application for the site by JG Hatcliffe Associates to develop a new area north of Howden for mixed residential and commercial use – including houses, services, businesses and green spaces – which is included in the East Riding Local Plan as HOW-G.

The project will be funded through a mix of developer contributions and council funding via Invest East Yorkshire, including a £2m Devolution grant and a £1m Local Transport Grant.

The council’s cabinet member for planning, housing and infrastructure, Councillor Gary McMaster, said: “I’m extremely pleased we have now awarded this contract and that work will soon begin on this transformational project for Howden.”

He continued: “This initiative is part of wider aspirations to enhance infrastructure in Yorkshire and the Humber, ensuring smoother transportation and grow the economy.”

Louise Pavitt, managing director of Aureos Highways, said: “We are delighted to be supporting East Riding of Yorkshire Council on the Howden Relief Road scheme. This project is a critical step towards economic development in the region and will provide much needed highways improvements, opening up new routes and easing congestion. We are proud to contribute to vital infrastructure delivery across the UK, with the Howden scheme further strengthening our major highways delivery portfolio.”