Work will start on the contract immediately alongside the council’s existing project team to further develop the design of the route which has a total project cost of £198m.

This work will feed into the pre-planning application public consultation, which is scheduled for the autumn, which in turn will inform the planning application for the project, due to be submitted in early 2022.

Works will include 6.1 km of dual carriageway from the A1270 to A47 including a new viaduct over the River Wensum plus six structures for minor roads and environmental crossings.

Construction is expected to complete in 2025 with a further three years of landscape maintenance.

Cllr Martin Wilby, Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, said: “Ferrovial Construction have a great track record in designing and building large-scale infrastructure projects and will bring specialist expertise to the project, including in relation to the design of the viaduct across the River Wensum.

“Creating the Norwich Western Link is a priority for this council and it’s vital to ensuring we have the right infrastructure in place to not only tackle existing congestion and delays but to accommodate future population and job growth. We’re looking forward to working with Ferrovial Construction to deliver such an important project for Norfolk.”

Karl Goose, UK & Ireland Managing Director, Ferrovial Construction said: “We are delighted to have been selected to deliver the Norwich Western Link, a key project which forms part of the new sustainable growth strategy for the UK business.

“We will be bringing our expertise and experience at delivering highways projects in the UK, Ireland and around the world to provide Norfolk County Council and the region with a world-class piece of infrastructure.

“We will be self-delivering this project with local teams, opening new opportunities for people in Norfolk and offering a gateway to STEM careers in the industry and sustainable career development paths for new and existing employees.”