The shortlisted bidders for the 4 kilometre long project are: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering Limited, Farrans Construction and Roadbridge, Interserve Construction Limited and John Paul Construction Limited / Somaque Engenharia.

The contract for the Dalry Bypass project is estimated to be worth between £34 million and £38m and involves the construction of the new bypass and associated junctions to connect to the existing A737 Trunk Road.

Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands, said: “This announcement marks another significant milestone for the Dalry Bypass. It ensures we remain on schedule to appoint a contractor early next year and for works to start on this critical infrastructure project by the end of March 2017.

“The new road will be a key driver in improving economic and employment opportunities in the area by providing better journey time reliability and enhancing connectivity. It will also improve safety by taking traffic away from unsuitable roads.”