THE shortlist of bidders to deliver the Maybole bypass have been announced.

Those who have been successful to build the Maybole bypass has been shortlisted for the £30m construction project and have been invited to participate in the next stage of the procurement competition.

They include, Farrans Roadbridge, John Paul Construction, R J McLeod and Wills Bros.

This next stage of procurement will see the four bidders enter into a commercially sensitive period of competitive dialogue which will last until autumn 2018.

The successful bidder will be required to build a new 5km off-line bypass and associated junctions.

Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, said: “This announcement marks another significant milestone towards delivering a bypass for the town of Maybole and comes hot on the heels of ground investigation work which got underway earlier this month.

“The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering the Maybole Bypass and recent progress will enable work to press ahead in the New Year to bring much needed relief for the Maybole community as well as improving journey times for long distance road users.”

Following the award of the construction contract, work is expected to get underway on the main construction by late 2018.