Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty has returned to profitability after a turbulent few years Getty

Engineering firm Balfour Beatty says it is on track to meet management expectations for the first half of the year.

The London-based company, which is involved in several high-profile infrastructure projects in the UK including Crossrail and the Thames Tideway Tunnel, said its order book will show growth in the first half due to good order intake in the United States.

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The UK construction order book is expected to be broadly stable.

"Balfour Beatty continues to make good progress on the Build to Last transformation programme, with overall trading remaining in line with expectations," the firm said in a statement released ahead of its annual general meeting.

Balfour Beatty returned to profit last year, making £60m ($78m), on the back of strong growth in the US.

The company reported a loss of £123m in 2015 in the midst of a downturn in the UK construction sector.

Its order book was worth £12.7bn at the end of 2016, up 4% at constant exchange rates from the previous year.

Earlier this month, the company was awarded a $625m contract to rebuild the "Southern Gateway" – a 17km stretch of road in Dallas, Texas.

Construction on the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2021, is set to begin later this year.