Taisei Corporation (Japan) is set to start work by February on a US$144.2M contract to build the 2km long Thu Thiem road tunnel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The tunnel combines cut and cover approaches and a 370m immersed tube under the Saigon River.
The firm won the job even though its bid was marginally higher than the lowest offer submitted by fellow Japanese contractor Obayashi.
Sources within East-West Highway Project Management Unit, the Vietnamese government agency looking after the scheme, said Obayashi was sidelined because there were concerns about whether the firm could comply with the performance specifications. This followed an assessment by the Ministry of Construction’s Science and Technology Institute of Obayashi’s planned technique for building the tunnel’s four 92.5m long, 33m wide immersed segments, each weighing 36,000 tonnes. It was feared the method could cause cracks to develop in the sections. Consequently, the management was advised to reject Obayashi’s tender.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment was expected to confirm Taisei’s contract as T&TI went to press, clearing the way to start construction on the 40 month tunnel scheme. The tunnel was designed by a group led by Japan’s Pacific Consultant International and forms a critical section of a new 21.4km long, US$657M highway that will link the Thu Thiem Peninsula to the National Highway No 1A. The highway is being 85% funded by the JBIC with the rest provided by the Vietnamese Government.
