The construction contract for the EUR133 million Lai Chi Kok Transfer Scheme, advertised at tunnelbuilder.com earlier this year, has been awarded to Leighton Asia. The project includes two 4.9 m-diameter storm water drainage tunnels with total length of 3.7 km between West Kowloon reclamation and Lai Chi Kok and Sham Shui Po districts, six intake shafts, a stilling basin, an outfall adit into Victoria Harbour, and 270 m of 3 m-diameter connection adits. Work starts immediately for completion in 2012. More from Quinnie Lee, tel +852 2823 1427, e-mail quinnie.lee@leightonasia.com 47/08..

Contract valued EUR414,000 awarded by Norwegian Railway Infrastructure Administration to Norconsult AS of Sandvika to provide technical and detailed plans of tunnels for the joint project E6 road and Dovrebanen, lot Minnesund-Kleverud, which includes one twin-tube 0.6 km-long road tunnel and 3.1 km of single railway tunnel over a 17 km-long alignment in Eidsvoll and Stange municipalities. ..

Contract for telecommunications installations for 6.5 km section of new double railway track in Baerum municipality for Lysaker-Sandvika, of which 5.5 km in tunnel, awarded by Jernbaneverket to T Connect AS of Manglerud, Oslo. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=292852-2008 More from Olaf Bjerknes, tel +47 9943 4144, e-mail olbj@jbv.no 46/08. ..

Bemel Norge AS of Majorstuen, Oslo has been awarded the contract to supply ventilation fans to the 5.37 km-long Atlantic Ocean tunnel between Kristiansund and Bremnes on National Road 64 in the value EUR555,000...

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.

Iceland Prime Contractor (IAV) and Marti Contractors signed on 8th April a ISK3.48 billion contract to build the Oshlid tunnel. The tunnel is 5.1 km long and 8.7 m wide and the portals are 310 m long, so the tunnel will stretch for 5.4 km in total. The contract also includes 3 km of roads and there are also two bridges, of 8 m and 32 m in length. The bid from IAV and Marti was 88% of the owner's cost estimate for construction costs. The whole tunnel is on land, under the Oshlid mountain. The planned excavation method is drilling and blasting with jumbos and explosives in rock. The tunnel will be constructed from both ends. The planned primary support is rock bolts and shotcrete with reinforcement fibres. The final lining will be shotcrete and it is also planned to install water and frost protection, with 45 mm-thick PE plates, and 60 mm-thick shotcrete on top. The plates will only be set up at places where water is coming to the tunnel. The planned method for clearing of blasted rock is with dump trucks. Construction will start in May 2008 but the tunnel excavation is planned to start in August 2008 and end in October 2009. End of works is planned in July 2010. Visit www.iav.is and www.marticontractors.ch 17/08.
The construction supervision contract has been awarded on the same day to two Icelandic consultant firms, Geotek and Linuhonnun. The contract amount is ISK222 million. Visit www.geotek.is and www.lh.is 17/08.