THE pan-European search has started for a firm to build two new Park&Ride sites in York in a £22 million project aimed at tackling congestion.

The official contract notice for the construction of a larger site at Askham Bar, replacing the existing facility, and a new site near Poppleton has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, marking the beginning of the tendering process for the scheme.

Contractors from across Europe have until July 23 to complete pre-qualification questionnaires which will then be assessed by City of York Council and whittled down to a shortlist of five or six contenders. These firms will then be issued with detailed tender documents in August so they can provide a price, with the work set to start next January and be completed by April 2014.

“This is a significant step forward for the procurement process for the construction of the main elements of the project,” said Coun Dave Merrett, the council’s cabinet member for transport, planning and sustainability.

“The project represents one of the largest single investments in the city’s transport infrastructure since the northern ring road was built in the late 1980s.”

Details of the scheme are available at york.gov.uk.