The Neva Concession Company (Nevskaya Kontsesionnaya Kompania) representing French mega construction group, Vinci, has been confirmed as the only consortium to submit a bid for the US$1.6bn design-build-operate contract for the twin 2.2km long, 13m wide Orlovsky road tunnels under the Neva River in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Four groups were originally shortlisted back in late 2007, but it is believed constant delays to the process lead to this number witling down to one. The three other original applicants who have walked from the project are: Nevsky Tunel (a consortium of Strabag/Zublin/Egis/ Suri Holdings Limited; Bouyguesproject Operating (Bouygues😉 and Neva Traverse (Hochtief Construction/Hochtief PPP/Royal Boskalis Westminster).
The original schedule envisaged DBO partner selection by mid 2008, with the tunnel operational by 2013, but an announcement by Yury Molchanov, St. Petersburg’s deputy governor, saying that city budgets and federal investment funds couldn’t finance tunnel construction at that time, lead to a re-forecast of a construction start of 2011.
Tunnelling Journal newsletter
The Neva Concession Company proposes to finish the tunnel design by May 2011 and to complete the construction work and put the tunnel into operation by the end of 2015. The tender committee will consider the proposal and announce the result at the end of this month.
Comments: