Consortium led by construction group BAM in pole position to win €220m road contract

A consortium led by construction group BAM is in pole position to win a €220 million road building contract from the State. BAM has confirmed that the National Roads Authority has announced it as the preferred bidder for the N25 New Ross bypass in the southeast.

The announcement means its consortium, BAM Iridium, is the most likely candidate for the contract, which is valued at €220 million.

The work will involve a bridge over the river Barrow, a railway bridge at Glenmore, dual and single carriageway stretches of road and three roundabouts.

BAM Iridium is made up of BAM Group Ireland, BAM PPP and two Spanish operators, infrastructure management specialist Iridium and construction company Dragados.

The Irish company is a subsidiary of Netherlands multinational, Royal Dutch BAM. It recently completed the free- flow junction at Newlands Cross in west Dublin, part of another €250 million roads project.

BAM Group Ireland recently reported that it earned €7.5 million in pretax profits last year, up more than 25 per cent on the €5.9 million it made in 2012.