The 1.8-mile Woodside link road will connect Houghton Regis and industrial estates in Dunstable to a planned new junction 11a on the M1. The new link road is scheduled to open in winter 2016.
Balfour Beatty’s work will include the diversion of the Houghton Brook via two bridges and a culvert, a sheet piled retaining wall, noise barriers and drainage works as well as facilities for cyclists and landscaping.
A proposed new 5,600-home development and 30-hectare business district are also expected to result from the new link road.
The visiting transport minister, Andrew Jones, said: “This scheme will make it easier for people to access Luton Airport and the M1, providing better journeys for residents and businesses and supporting more housing and jobs.”
Balfour Beatty regional director of operations Nick Osborne said: “The official start of work ceremony by Andrew Jones MP marks a significant step in the delivery of the Woodside Link Road Project alongside Central Bedfordshire Council, a road that will provide an important connection between the Woodside business area and the M1.”
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