Kier Highways and National Highways are celebrating 20 years since the creation of the Area 13 Highway Maintenance region, covering the motorways and strategic roads in North Lancashire and Cumbria.

Kier Highways has been the principal contractor in Area 13 for the past 13 years - delivering severe weather service and incident response, cyclic and reactive maintenance and improvements works across a 376km network of motorways, trunk roads, dual and single carriageways.

The network includes key tourist routes to the Fylde Coast, the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks and covers many Areas of outstanding natural beauty and sites of special scientific interest. 

The contract's strategic road network includes vital links to Scotland, the west coast of Cumbria, as well as links to key employers in the region such as, the Sellafield Nuclear Plant, and BAE Systems, in Barrow-in-Furness.

James Birch, managing director of Kier Highways maintenance business, said: "Our role on the roads is more than just fixing potholes, and cutting the grass. 

"We manage a wide range of services with the aim of keeping the roads in North Lancashire and Cumbria as safe and reliable as possible. 

"Through our collaborative approach with National Highways, we are connecting people; road users, businesses and local communities and it’s fantastic to celebrate this significant milestone."

Graham Porter, general manager at Kier Highways added its workforce is the "backbone" of the Area 13 contract.

"Many of our people have been with us for the full 20 years, and we're extremely proud of the great work they do day in, day out," he said.

In 2017, the contract was renewed for another 15 years, which will see Kier Highways continue to deliver the contract until 2032. 

Kier continues to invest in the contract and the region, by expanding and developing the skills of its workforce, supporting local SME’s through its supply chain and introducing innovations and new technologies, to support the safety & effectiveness of the services it provides. 

The contract also stands by its social value commitments, with a number of long-running successful partnerships with organisations such as Recycling Lives - to provide career prospects to ex-offenders and disadvantaged people.