A Jacobs and AtkinsRéalis joint venture has been appointed environmental and sustainability technical partner by National Highways.

The firms will provide essential environmental and sustainability technical services to support the organisation's strategy to reduce carbon emissions, enhance biodiversity and climate resilience, and support community wellbeing.

The AtkinsRéalis-Jacobs JV will work closely with National Highways to support the delivery of its Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which aims to achieve net zero emissions across England's 4,500 miles of motorways and major A-roads by 2050.

With a three-year duration, the contract has been commissioned through National Highways' Specialist Professional and Technical Services Framework.

The joint venture will provide a range of technical expertise across priority areas, including designing lower carbon roads, developing nature-based solutions, mitigating pollution, optimizing resource and energy use and integrating roads into surrounding landscapes.

“Our integrated project delivery will be essential in supporting National Highways’ vision for a connected country and a thriving environment” said Jacobs senior vice president, Richard Sanderson.

“Leveraging our knowledge of the network and the supply chain, combined with our global environmental and sustainability capabilities, we are committed to helping National Highways foster a resilient natural environment, reduce carbon emissions and support community wellbeing."

AtkinsRéalis market director – strategic highways and regional roads UK and Ireland, Peter Baynham, added: “England's economy depends on our strategic road network and sustainability must be at its heart, not just for environmental protection, but because resilient, low-carbon infrastructure is essential for long-term growth.

“This appointment builds on our extensive environmental work with National Highways, including our ongoing collaboration with Jacobs and specialist supply chain. This combined expertise enables us to engineer roads which benefit both road users and the environment, continuing our work on sustainable infrastructure development across England’s highways.”

National Highways director of environmental sustainability, Stephen Elderkin, said the organised was committed to delivering on its ambitious environmental sustainability goals.

“We want to have a connected country and a thriving environment,” he added. “This means achieving our net zero targets, contributing to nature recovery and tackling local environmental pollution for the benefit of our neighbouring communities. In order to achieve those goals, we need to work collaboratively to accelerate the transformation of the highway sector.

“Drawing on expert support from our technical partners is a crucial step towards doing just that. The bid submitted by AtkinsRéalis and Jacobs demonstrated a strong commitment to these values, and we look forward to working with them to deliver this vision.”

The joint venture will engage a diverse supply chain, including Jacobs' strategic partner PA Consulting, small and medium-sized enterprises and academic representatives to create and deliver effective propositions that meet National Highways' environmental objectives.

Jacobs and AtkinsRéalis have an eight-year track record of previous collaborations through National Highways’ Specialist Professional and Technical Services Framework.

This includes the innovative Structures Moonshot project, which is exploring advanced technologies for bridge monitoring and maintenance, and trials of graphene-enhanced asphalt on the A12 which could extend road materials' lifespan while reducing carbon.