A major new motorway junction is set to be built between Burnham-On-Sea and Bridgwater after infrastructure firm Costain was this week appointed to design and construct the £100m project.
The new M5 junction — to be known as Junction 22A — will provide direct access to the Gravity Smart Campus and the £4bn Agratas gigafactory, which is set to become Britain’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility.
Costain was awarded the five-year contract through the Regional Delivery Partnership framework. The scheme will see the creation of north-facing slip roads designed to ease congestion on the M5, particularly south of the Huntspill River, where traffic pressures have increased in recent years. We initially reported here in June 2024 about the plans.
The project is expected to play a key role in supporting Somerset’s fast‑growing clean‑tech sector, with the gigafactory predicted to bring thousands of jobs to the region.
Costain will act as delivery integration partner and main works contractor, overseeing the full design and construction of the new junction before handing it over to National Highways. Engineering specialists WSP will support the design phase.
Alex Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer of Costain, said the appointment reflects the company’s long-standing partnership with National Highways.
“This award is built on our long‑established highways delivery expertise and trusted partner relationship with National Highways,” he said. “We will work closely with our supply chain partners to design and deliver this new junction that will provide access to the new gigafactory and help to drive economic growth in this region of the UK.”
He added that the investment demonstrates Costain’s commitment to delivering “critical national infrastructure programmes that improve people’s lives.”
Costain has an extensive track record with National Highways, having completed 41 emergency areas on the M1 last year ahead of schedule.
The company is also providing technical engineering support under the SPaTS3 framework and is the delivery partner for the M60/M62/M66 Simister Island Interchange scheme.
Work on Junction 22A is expected to begin following detailed design phases, with construction taking place over the next five years.
