The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has announced its decision to award the Gotthard main northern section (Lot 241) to the “secondo tubo” joint venture, led by Implenia (Implenia 60% / Frutiger 40%). The order for the 7.9km long section, extending up to the lot boundary in the middle of the tunnel, is worth CHF467M ($488M), including VAT, with construction scheduled to take place from 2022 to 2029. There is a 20-day appeal period.
The core element of the work is 7.3km of tunnelling, at a diameter of 12.3m, using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) with a segmental lining. This connects to a 160m long stretch at the start which will be excavated conventionally. The contract also includes 430m of conventional tunnel through the northern fault zone, which will be excavated from the 4km long northern access tunnel that is currently being constructed. The TBM will later be pulled through this section of the fault zone. Its cutterhead will be completely rebuilt and it will then complete the remaining tunnelling through to the lot boundary. The joint venture will also undertake the highly complex excavation of two underground ventilation centres, as well as creating an underground concrete plant and production halls for tubbing rings and service ducts in former military caverns.
FEDRO said, “The ‘secondo tubo’ joint venture submitted a very good offer in terms of quality and price, making it the most favourable choice. The winning offer was impressive throughout, scoring well or very well on all the award criteria. The tenderer submitted the most favourable offer, and also did better than the other candidates in terms of quality, based on the tender documents. The key personnel designated for site deployment also rated very highly.”
André Wyss, CEO Implenia, commented, “The second tube of the Gotthard road tunnel will make a major contribution to improving the north-south road link in Switzerland. We are delighted to be planning and building this large and complex infrastructure project, which is an excellent fit with Implenia’s strategy. We will contribute our many years of experience and proven expertise in tunnel construction and other civil engineering disciplines to this exciting project.”
As well as its Tunnelling unit, Implenia’s Special Foundations and Civil units in Central Switzerland will also be involved in the work.
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