Costain people in the A14 Integrated Delivery Team, working on behalf of Highways England, have a challenging and packed schedule to deliver a £1.5 billion Highways England scheme. As well as widening 21 miles of highway, they’re responsible for the wellbeing of all the ecology on the route, from the beginning to end of the project. Costain people have contributed to the environmental sustainability planning, which has earned the project a finalist’s place in the 2018 Countryfile Magazine conservation success of the year award.

“You’d be amazed by the diversity of the wildlife that lives just yards from our roadsides”, Steven Skalecki, Costain environmental advisor, said. “We’re responsible for very sensitive species such as barn owls, badgers, kestrels, bats as well as great crested newts and water voles. The A14 IDT project is committed to caring for our environment and we’ve set ourselves very tough sustainability targets around, for example, water conservation and planting over 800,000 trees. I’m very proud to be working on an infrastructure project that is demonstrating how we can improve lives and create a positive environmental legacy.”

The rigours of the environmental protection and enhancement systems impressed the Countryfile Magazine judging panel. “It’s a project that should lead the way in how to mitigate that damage done by infrastructure works – this is an example that needs to be out there for people to follow”, panel judge and BBC Wildlife Magazine editor, Sheena Harvey, said.

You can vote for the Highways England Mitigation Scheme and find out more about the A14 team’s environmental protection work on the Countryfile Magazine website.