1909
Our first contract
Balfour Beatty opened for business in London on 12 January 1909. Our first contract, running tramlines in Luton and Dartford, was worth £5,000. Since then Balfour Beatty has grown to become the international infrastructure business it is today – operating in the UK, US and Hong Kong.
1922
Lochaber Hydro-electric Works
We started work on a 15-mile tunnel through the granite mountains near Fort William. The tunnel, built to supply water to the power station at Fort William, was the longest tunnel in the world at the time. Our work in the power and energy market remains a key focus today.
Kurasini Hydro-electric Turbine
We obtained a licence to generate electricity in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Hydro-electric turbines such as this one in Kurasini, were constructed to generate power from waterfalls.
Woodhead Tunnel
We began tunnelling through challenging ground conditions to construct the new Woodhead Tunnel 3, providing a major rail link between Manchester and Sheffield. At 5km long, it was the longest rail tunnel in Britain at the time. In 2009, we returned to install electricity cables through the tunnel.
1931
1949
Staythorpe Power Station
One of our first completed projects for the newly nationalised power industry was the 360MW Staythorpe A Power Station on the River Trent, Nottinghamshire. The station played a key role in feeding an electricity hungry society in the post-war period.
West Coast Mainline Electrification
Balfour Beatty’s work developing new electrification equipment for rail routes such as the West Coast Mainline put the company at the forefront of rail innovation. To this day, most of the world’s electrified railway tunnels have Balfour Beatty conductors in them.
1950
1969
Mina Jebel Ali Port, Dubai
We began construction of what was at the time, the largest man-made harbour in the world.
Sellafield Nuclear Facility
Our work on the Fuel Handling Plant, now known as Pond 5, marked the beginning of over 40 years of continuous work at Sellafield. Our presence at the facility continues today as we support the 18-year programme to safely decommission the facility.
1976
1982
US market entry
Heery, an Atlanta based architectural and engineering business, was Balfour Beatty’s first US acquisition, marking a significant milestone for the Group which today has a substantial presence in the US civils, buildings and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) markets.
The Channel Tunnel
A 200-strong Balfour Beatty team began work on the Channel Tunnel – a workforce bigger than any other British contractor. The tunnel was opened by Queen Elizabeth II and France’s President, Francois Mitterrand in May 1994 with Eurostar passenger services commencing later that year.
1986
1987
A 200-strong Balfour Beatty team began work on the Channel Tunnel – a workforce bigger than any other British contractor. The tunnel was opened by the Queen and France’s President, Francois Mitterrand in May 1994 with Eurostar passenger services commencing later that year.
NASA Space Station Control Centre, Houston
We completed work on the new Mission Control Centre where astronauts working on the International Space Station are co-ordinated from.
Barking Power Station
We began the design and construction of the 1,000MW low emission Barking Power Station, positioning us for a highly successful entry into the UK PPP market.
1991
1995
San Mateo – Hayward Bridge Widening
We started work on the widening of the longest bridge in California, adding a new lane to each side of the 11km long crossing.
Heathrow Airport Terminal 5
A multi-disciplinary team from across the Group began work on the new Terminal 5, helping to increase the airport’s capacity by 35 million passengers per year.
1999
2002
The M25 Motorway
After many years of keeping England’s motorways and major A roads moving on behalf of Highways England, we began widening a 10-mile stretch of the M25 between junctions 12 and 15. Our work with Highways England, now known as National Highways, continues today, including a 30-year joint venture to design, build, finance, operate and maintain one of Europe’s busiest motorways, the M25.
Hong Kong market entry
We acquired Gammon, our 50:50 joint venture based in Hong Kong and started work on the Castle Peak Road Improvement scheme. Gammon has gone on to successfully deliver many landmark projects including the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, the rail gateway from Hong Kong to mainland China.
2003
2004
Gotthard Base Tunnel and entry into the US military housing market
We began installation of rail infrastructure equipment in the longest and deepest railway tunnel in the world. At 57km long, the tunnel passes through the Swiss Alps reaching depths of almost 2,500m. In the same year, we entered the US military housing market through our acquisition of GMH, now known as Balfour Beatty Communities.
Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers and Whitelee Windfarm
We started heavy engineering and cabling works on Britain’s largest warship which has a range of up to 10,000 nautical miles and capacity for 40 aircraft. In the same year, we also delivered the electrical works for, what was at the time, the UK’s largest on-shore windfarm at Whitelee, near Glasgow.
2008
2009
M74, Glasgow
We completed the award-winning 8km extension to the M74 motorway eight months ahead of schedule. The vital upgrade significantly reduced congestion and improved journeys on Glasgow’s busiest roads.
2011
London Aquatics Centre
Designed by award winning architect Zaha Hadid, we delivered the London Aquatics Centre – one of the main venues at the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Following the Games, we went on to transform the Olympic Stadium into the home of West Ham FC and create two new neighbourhoods – East Wick and Sweetwater.
2012
Edith Green Wendell Wyatt Building
We transformed this 1970s 20-floor Federal Building, in Portland, Oregon, reducing the building’s energy consumption by over 50% to make it one of the most energy efficient buildings in the US at the time.
2013
Beauly-Denny replacement electricity transmission line and M4 Smart Motorway
At more than 220km long and reaching heights of 750m above sea level, we completed the longest and highest electricity transmission line in the UK. The line brings clean energy from remote wind farms in the North of Scotland onto the national grid, helping the country to transition to a low carbon energy system. In the same year, our joint venture was awarded the contract to upgrade a 32-mile stretch of the M4 between junction 3 and junction 12 to smart motorway. The new smart motorway increases capacity, reduces congestion and improves journey times for the 130,000 drivers using the route each day.
2015
Thames Tideway Tunnel
Our joint venture began construction of the 7km west section of the Thames Tideway Tunnel – part of London’s new 25km ‘super sewer’, which will ensure the capital’s sewerage system is fit-for-purpose for the next 100 years.
2016
Hinkley Point C and Foundry Courtyard Student Accommodation
We successfully completed our first student accommodation project in the direct let market at Foundry Courtyard, Glasgow. We also commenced work at the UK’s first nuclear power station in a generation where, in 2022, we completed a feat of engineering as we successfully lowered six 5,000 tonne structures to the bottom of the Bristol Channel, to form the intake heads that cap the tunnels supplying cooling water to the two new reactors.
2017
LAX Automated People Mover and Midland Metropolitan University Hospital early works
Combining our design, build, finance, operation and maintenance expertise, we began work on a new transport system that will improve the journeys of 85 million passengers who pass through Los Angeles International Airport each year. In the same year, we also began early works at the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital to provide maternity, children’s and inpatient adult facilities to half a million people in Birmingham.
2018
Old Oak Common Station and A14 upgrade works
Our joint venture was awarded the design, construction and commissioning of HS2’s Old Oak Common station in North West London. On completion, it will become the UK’s best-connected station with direct services to three major airports. In the same year, our integrated delivery team completed work, over six months ahead of schedule, on Britain’s biggest road project at the time – the A14.
2019
Hong Kong International Airport and HS2 main civil engineering contracts
Our 50:50 joint venture, Gammon, was awarded the expansion of Terminal 2 at Hong Kong International Airport – their largest single contract award to date. In the West Midlands, our joint venture began the construction of a 90km stretch of the HS2 route, from the Long Itchington Wood Green tunnel in Warwickshire to the West Coast Main Line tie-in near Lichfield in Staffordshire, as well as the major train junction into central Birmingham at Curzon Street.
2020
London Power Tunnels 2 and Manchester Engineering Campus Development
Having delivered the cabling works for London Power Tunnels 1 in 2017, we embarked on the second phase of the ambitious scheme to rewire London. We also completed the new Manchester Engineering Campus Development – a world-leading teaching, learning and research campus that was one of the largest, single construction projects ever undertaken by a higher education institution in the UK.
2021
Whitechapel and Woolwich stations, Elizabeth line
Our multidisciplinary capability from ground engineering, major complex civils and rail engineering to M&E played a leading role in the success of what, at the time, was Europe’s largest ever construction project. Now known as the Elizabeth Line, it dramatically improves transport links in London and the South East, providing additional rail capacity and cutting journey times.
2022
On-street electric vehicle charging market entry and SSEN Transmission’s ASTI framework
Balfour Beatty Investments announced its entry into the on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging market with the formation of Urban Fox. Helping local authorities achieve the green targets set out in the UK Government’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy “Taking Charge”, Urban Fox provide a whole life solution to near-home electric vehicle charge points. In the same year, we were selected as one of ten preferred bidders on SSEN Transmission’s c. £10 billion Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment (ASTI) framework. Our work on the seven-year framework will include the delivery of overhead lines, underground cables and substations needed to redevelop the transmission network in the north of Scotland.
2023
The Future
