Balfour wins £56m Qatar engineering job

Balfour Beatty has snaffled a £56m highways contract in Qatar.

The Gulf state has asked Balfour's professional services division, Parsons Brinckerhoff, to design 16 miles of expressways, including bridges and interchanges.

Qatar has proved a happy hunting ground for the construction giant, having previously bagged roads, drainage and rail work in the country.

Balfour is trying to emulate its overseas success in the UK by revamping its domestic organisational structure to improve profitability. The former Cabinet Office adviser Nick Pollard was hired to lead the UK unit this month. Projects in the UK including helping to build a new satellite terminal at Heathrow Airport.