Volker Stevin Marine and Halcrow have been awarded contracts on the new river Tyne crossing, in north east England, by the main contractor Bouygues Travaux Publics.
A contract for US$32M has been awarded to Volker Stevin Marine to build the immersed tube tunnel for the river crossing at Newcastle and Gateshead. The business is a joint venture of sister companies within the VolkerWessels Group – Volker Stein and Volker Stein Construction Europe.
The immersed tube tunnel will be the 360m long key element of the new 1,600m long transport link. The tube is to be formed by four precast concrete sections, each 90m long and 8.5m by 15m. The sections are to be built in a nearby drydock on the Tyne and floated into position and submerged in the third quarter of 2009. In total, the tube will require 14,400m3 of reinforced concrete.
Halcrow has been awarded a contract to design the mechanical and electrical systems for the project. The consultant had supported Bouygues during the procurement phase and provided a risk assessment for the tunnel fire suppression system
Under the concession, the existing Tyne crossing will be refurbished and operated and a new crossing built and run. The concession was awarded in November 2007 and the construction and refurbishment work is to take four years (T&TI, December 2007, p7).
The concessionaire comprises Bouygues Travaux Publics (a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction), HSBC Infrastructure Fund Management Ltd and Bank of Scotland Corporate. Financing of the scheme includes equity from the partners as well as a subsidy from the client, the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority (TWPTA).
Other companies that have supported concessionaire include High-Point Rendel, Parsons Brinckerhoff and Faber Maunsell.
Aerial view of Tyne crossing Aerial view of Tyne crossing
