Highways England has handed Balfour Beatty a £130m contract to build the new M20 Lorry Park in Kent.

The new facility will bring to an end the long-running saga of Operation Stack that turns the M20 into a lorry park every time there are disruptions at the Port of Calais, breakdowns in the Channel tunnel or storms impacting on ferry crossings.

The new lorry area will have capacity for approximately 3,600 lorries.

Balfour Beatty has been brought in on an early contractor involvement (ECI) basis. The government has yet to sign off the overall £250m project, although it was contained in the chancellor’s 2015 autumn statement. Highways England is looking to a summer 2017 completion date.

Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn said: “Balfour Beatty’s expertise in major infrastructure projects and long standing relationship with Highways England will be crucial for the safe and successful delivery of this project. The M20 lorry area will provide much needed relief to Kent’s road networks while supporting local economic growth and development.”