Osmo-Anlagenbau of Georgsmarienhuette has been awarded the EUR7.5 million contract to upgrade lighting, electrical, and road traffic control equipment on the Breitenworbis to Bleicherode section of highway A38, including Hollberg tunnel. More from Herr Nordsiek, tel +49 5401 8580, e-mail info@osmo-anlagenbau.com. . http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=337058-2008 01/09. ..

Initial contract for site preparation on University Link awarded to West Coast contractor Condon-Johnson & Associates, www.condon-johnson.com/seattle/, value EUR13.93 million. ..

Joint venture Shea/Kenny has been awarded the EUR38 million contract to construct the 915 m-long x 5.2 m-diameter Underwood Creek diversion tunnel. The tunnel will hold 1,400 million litres of floodwater for controlled discharge into the Menomonee River. More from Dutch Vleigenthart, VP, at J F Shea, tel +1 909 594-9500. Just EUR216,000 separated Shea/Kenny from second bidder. Contact Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, tel +1 414 272-5100 or visit www.mmsd.com. 52/08. ..

ATI, a consortium of OHL, FCC Construction and Copisa, has been awarded the EUR1 billion concession for construction, maintenance and management of section 1 of line 9 of Barcelona Metro involving 13 stations and 17 km of line serving Prat airport, Llobregat hospital and the terminus at Amadeu Torner station. Line 9 will be the longest metro line in Europe at 46.6 km. Visit www.ohl.es, www.fcc.es, and www.copisa.com. 49/08. ..

Pre-feasibility study being undertaken by ILF Consulting Engineers for construction of single track railway line along the Karakorum highway between the end of the existing railway network in the south at Havelian and the border between Pakistan and China near the famous Khunjrab Pass in the north.

Prequalification underway by MTR for tender reference no 703 for West Island Line SHW to SYP tunnels value EUR30 million with a view to selective invitations to tender being issued in 4Q/2008 for contract award in 3Q/2009. Expressions of interest to Malcolm O’Neill, tel 3921 3383, e-mail moneill@mtr.com.hk Visit www.mtr.com.hk/eng/tenders/new_projects.html 45/08.

Prior information notice for construction works, value EUR24.86 million, for a undergroung cut-and-cover tunnel from Pabellon Moises Ruiz to Plaza de Barcelona, 1,1 km, with 0.8 m-thick base, 1.0 m-thick walls and 1.0 m-thick roof, on Carretera de Ronda, in Almeria. The works will include intermodal station.

After being named preferred bidder a few months ago, Bouygues Construction has signed the contract worth more than EUR500 million to build and operate the new Tyne crossing under-river tunnels in Newcastle. A concession operator named TT2 and made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, HSBC Infrastructure Fund II and Bank of Scotland Corporate was selected to carry out the work, which is expected to take four years, followed by the operation of the tunnels. The contract includes the design and construction of a new tunnel, the renovation of the existing tunnel, financing and the operation of the whole system for 30 years (including the duration of the works). Visit www.newtynecrossing.info and www.bouygues-construction.com

Motorway A19 that links Newcastle’s north and south is a dual two-lane carriageway that narrows to one single lane in each direction in the tunnel. This bottleneck causes important disruptions. The new tunnel, which will duplicate the existing tunnel link, is 1,600 m long, whereof 360 m under the Tyne. For its crossing of the river, the tunnel will consist of 90 m-long precast concrete caissons. Bouygues proposed the TIMBY (standing for Tunnel IMmergé BouYgues) process developed by its engineers Pierre Longchamp, Philippe Autuori and Patrick Palbras in conjunction with Herrenknecht but the caissons will be built in the classical manner in a dry yard.  The TIMBY concept has received in January this year the first innovation prize from the French federation for public works (FNTP). Visit www.fntp.fr/actualite/dp/DPinnovation26012007.pdf

Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority (TWPTA) is to provide a subsidy of EUR160 million, HSBC Infrastructure Fund II, Bank of Scotland Corporate, and Bouygues Travaux Publics will provide EUR54 million in capital, and TT2 has contracted a EUR290 million senior debt loan from banks HSBC, Bank of Scotland Corporate and Natixis. Construction of the new tunnel, worth EUR355 million euros, will start first. When finished, all traffic will be diverted through the new tunnel while the existing tunnel is renovated and upgraded to current safety standards. Work is slated to commence in March 2008 for opening of the new tunnel and the renovated existing tunnel in December 2011. 49/07.