A successful Northern Ireland civil engineering and construction firm, SIAC, which has a base just off south Belfast's Boucher Road, has scooped a €450 million contract to build a 35km motorway in Poland.

The motorway will run from Kryz to Debica and is scheduled to be completed within the next two years.

The motorway will consist of 28 bridge structures, including a bridge over river Wsolka and will involve 1.835 million m³ of excavation and a huge 4.96 million m³ import requirement as well as 1.155 million m² of blacktop surface area.

SIAC will construct the motorway in a 50:50 joint venture with Polish contractor PGB S.A. with construction due to start in August.

"This will be an exciting challenge for us, but we have already deployed some of our senior managers to Poland to commence working on this project," said John Geoghegan, SIAC Operations Director.

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SIAC (NI) Ltd, which is managed by Kieran Doyle, recently won a major quality award for its environmental improvement scheme in Armagh and the company will shortly complete similar schemes in NI's Lurgan and Portadown town centres.

Commenting on the Polish contract, Ronnie Foreman, Chairman of SIAC (NI) Ltd said: "With the downturn in the economy reducing major infrastructure project opportunities across Ireland and Great Britain, we took a strategic decision to try and develop international markets where we saw potential.

"We are delighted to have secured this contract. Experience gained with similar projects and our programme of alliances with major international civil engineering contractors and specialist contractors, means that we are well equipped to undertake multi-disciplinary projects of this sort of scale and complexity."

SIAC previously constructed the landmark Boyne Bridge on the M1 motorway, and was also responsible for construction of the motorway south of the River Boyne and the A1/NI Newry/Dundalk link Road.

In the last five years, it has also completed two major PPP projects in Ireland, consisting of 110km of high quality motorway.

(BMcC/GK)