The six-lane toll bridge is expected to open during 2007
Gerry Bellett
Sun
The three international groups bidding to build the $600-million Fraser River crossing to link Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge to Langley have until the end of the month to submit proposals.
The Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink) will announce the successful bid in November, says media official Debbie Cox.
“The consortia are combinations of international and local companies,” she said.
The new six-lane toll bridge is expected to open in 2007 and will ease congestion on the overtaxed Port Mann Bridge, where commuters experience major delays during rush-hour periods.
The new bridge will cross the Fraser following the alignment of 200th Street in Langley and will land near the boundary of Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge.
TransLink chair and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum said the short list of companies vying to build the bridge was of “high quality.”
“We’re confident that the three short-listed teams have the financial capacity and the best technical capability to proceed to the request-for-proposals phase of the selection process,” said McCallum.
The successful bidder will design, build, operate, maintain and rehabilitate the crossing for a period of 20 years.
TransLink has decided that tolls on vehicles — cars could be charged between $2.50 to $3 — will be used to recover operating and capital costs for the new bridge.
The following is a list of the consortiums:
FRASER RIVER VALLEY CONSTRUCTORS:
This consortium is led by Peter Kiewit and Sons of Nebraska., Tidewater Shanska Inc., of Virginia, HBG Flatiron Inc. of Colorado and the Canadian company, Miller Paving Ltd.
Kiewit is a large North America construction company with a Canadian division. Kiewit built the parallel runway at Vancouver International Airport and is currently building part of the Benicia Bridge in California.
Tidewater and HBG Flatiron are currently involved in building a $650-million bridge in South Carolina. Flatiron did the Port Mann Bridge widening and a $890 million toll road in California.
Other companies involved in this bid are:
– Hatch Mott MacDonald Ltd.
– ND Lea Consultants Ltd.
– ECL Envirowest Consultants Ltd.
– UMA Group Ltd.
– Thurber Engineering Ltd.
– DMD and Associates Ltd.
– Catherine Barris Associates Ltd.
– JJM Construction Ltd.
– Cornerstone Planning Group.
GATEWAY CONSTRUCTORS:
This bid is led by the German company Bilfinger Berger, one of the world’s largest design and construction companies which built the $1.2-billion Taiwan high speed rail system and a subsidiary, Fru-Con Construction Corporation, a St. Louis-based construction company.
Other companies involved in this bid are:
– AMEC Engineering of Florida.
– Capilano Highway Services
– Buckland and Taylor
– Columbia Bitulithic Ltd.
– Bel Construction
– Imperial Paving Ltd.
– Jack Cewe Ltd.
– McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd.
– Trow Consulting Engineers Ltd.
RIVERLINK:
This consortium is led by Fluor Canada Ltd. and Egis Projects of France.
Fluor Construction, a California company, is one of the world’s largest publicly owned construction companies that built the $1.3-billion Highway 130 in Texas.
Egis is currently working on 600 projects world-wide including the Melbourne City link, a 25 kilometre urban tollway.
Other companies involved in this bid are:
– Klohn Crippen Consultants Ltd.
– R.F. Binnie and Associates Ltd.
– Urban Systems Ltd.
– CWMM Consulting Engineers Ltd.
– BA Blacktop Ltd.
– Mainroad Contracting Ltd.
– Levelton Engineering Ltd.
© The Vancouver Sun 2004