The A63 Selby Bypass was constructed to relieve severe traffic problems in Selby town. The project used waste materials in the construction and ensured there were minimal adverse effects on local flora and fauna.

Project Introduction
The A63 Selby Bypass is a 10 km single carriageway, which runs south of Selby in North Yorkshire, between Thorpe Willoughby in the west and Barlby in the east. Prior to the bypass, 16,000 cars and 2,000 heavy goods vehicles passed through Selby and over a 5 m wide bridge each day. Local residents and the town council had campaigned for a bypass since 1939, and the project has decreased town centre traffic by around 40 percent, reduced air pollution and improved the quality of life for the residents of Selby. The bypass has also reduced the number of motorists using smaller countryside roads to avoid the old A63 bottleneck in Selby.

Skanska designed and constructed the US$ 75 million A63 Selby Bypass on a design and build contract between 2001 and 2004 as part of a government road improvement scheme. The route includes six junctions, five roundabouts, a road bridge, two railway bridges, a pedestrian bridge and a three span bridge over the Selby canal. The project also included the design and construction of a new 100 m swing bridge over the tidal River Ouse, which is capable of swinging 90 degrees to open to river traffic within 2 minutes of a request being made. Embankments up to 9 m high were built to carry the bypass over the Selby Canal, the River Ouse and the two railway lines, and flood defences adjacent to the swing bridge were constructed.

The site was previously used for agriculture, but included some areas of ecologically valuable grassland and reed beds. Skanska worked alongside the Environment Agency to ensure there were minimal adverse effects on local flora and fauna.

The project won gold in the 2005 Considerate Constructors Scheme's Most Considerate Contractor national award and a Highly Commended Yorkshire Construction Award from the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2004.

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