WSP appointed to ten-year highways contract for Leeds City council

WSP has been retained as the sole supplier for Leeds City council’s highways and transportation civil engineering core contract following a competitive procurement process. The appointment marks the start of a new ten-year partnership to upgrade and maintain the city’s highways infrastructure.

The company has been the main consultant for the council’s highways and transportation service since September 2003 (formerly as Mouchel which was acquired by the business in 2016), working on more than 500 infrastructure projects across the city.

WSP’s Leeds-based highways team, including staff seconded direct into Leeds City council teams, will deliver a wide portfolio of services including maintenance and improvements of bridges, highways and delivering flood risk management. 

The team will also bring in expertise from the wider WSP business, which employs more than 450 staff in Leeds, to support additional specialist services including transport modelling, structures design and environmental assessments. 

A joint statement from Lisa Mulherin, Leeds City council executive member for climate change, transport and sustainable development, and Phil Matson, WSP commission manager and key client manager for Leeds City council, said: “We are proud to have worked together for over 17 years, and this reappointment for WSP as sole supplier on the core contract is a testament to the strength of the working relationship we’ve established together.

“Upgrading and sustaining the city’s highways network is vital to accelerate major regeneration plans including new housing developments, employment zones and to ensure the city’s transport network is the best it can be. It’s fantastic to know that we will be supporting the people of Leeds and the wider city region at a time of such exciting change.”

WSP has been instrumental in helping to transform the city’s transport infrastructure, supporting the council in the delivery of a number of major schemes delivered through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). These include the 23 km ‘Cycle Superhighway’ from East Leeds to Bradford Centre, the UK’s first attempt to develop a separate, long-distance cycle route.

WSP is also the lead development partner working with the council to transform the city’s bus infrastructure as part of the Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme (LPTIP). The business is delivering a number of major projects across the City Region as part of the LPTIP programme, including the development of new 'bus priority corridors' and the creation and expansion of park and ride schemes including Stourton Park, Temple Green and Elland Road.