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.

A consortium of FCC and Acciona has scooped a EUR134.9 million contract to extend Line 2 of the Madrid metro. The consortium will build 4.5 new kilometres of tracks to link La Elipa with the Las Rosas neighbourhood. The time frame to complete the works is 27 months. The project will add four new stations (Nicolas Salmerón, Alsacia, Guadalajara and Ginebra).

Sweco has been contracted to act as the owner’s engineer on behalf of Theun Hinboun Power Corporation (THPC) during the implementation of the Theun Hinboun expansion project. The contract, worth pver EUR5 million, includes design review, contract management and construction supervision.

Länsimetro, which is owned jointly by the cities of Helsinki and Espoo, has awarded Sweco a project management contract, worth close to EUR10 million, in connection with the western extension of Helsinki’s sole metro line that will link Helsinki and Espoo. The project is the largest infrastructure initiative of all time in Finland, with an estimated price tag of around EUR700 million. The western metro extension consists of a 13.5 km subway section with a total of eight stations (Lauttasaari, Koivusaari, Keilaniemi, Otaniemi, Tapiola, Niittymaa, provision made for a later station in Niittykumpu and Matinkylä), starting from the present end of the line in Ruoholahti. The extension will be completely underground. One of the biggest challenges will be to plan the extensive construction activities and material transports to avoid disruption to local residents or existing traffic flows during the building phase. The line extension is scheduled for completion at the end of 2013. Visit www.sweco.se and www.lansimetro.fi 40/08.

Salzburg Energie Verkher und Telecommunikation secured a EUR570,000 contract for medium voltage installation in the 3,580 m Henndorf bypass tunnel near Salzburg. Visit www.salzburg-ag.at 40/08.

Jacobs Engineering Group received a contract from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to provide construction management services for the Bay tunnel project in California. The project will construct 7,991 metres of 2.75 m finished diameter soft ground tunnel below the San Francisco Bay between the East Palo Alto area on the west side of the Bay and the City of Newark on the east side of it, two vertical shafts in areas adjacent to the Bay, and a watertight final lining of welded steel pipe.

The Costa Rican Institute of Electricity (ICE) granted the new Torito hydroelectric project to Spanish corporation Unión Fenosa, which will generate 50 MW of power. The contract signed consists of the construction, operation for 20 years and transfer of the whole project under the BOT model, three years of which will be dedicated to construction.

Astaldi has been awarded a contract of USD282 million (Astaldi's share is 95% of it) for the construction of the Chacayes dam, in the valley of the Cachapoal river. The plant will have an output capacity of 106 MW and will entail the construction of more than 6 km of tunnels and a complex water inlet system. Works are expected to be completed within 2011. The owner is Australian group Pacific Hydro. Visit www.astaldi.com and www.pacifichydro.com.au

The new electrified dual-track railway from Oued Tlélat to the Moroccan border is 200 km long and includes 12 tunnels. Its route is divided in three sections: Oued Tlélat-Sidi Bel Abbès, Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen and Tlemcen-Moroccan border. In June 2007, ANESRIF - the national agency for railway investments - awarded a DZD143.4 billion contract

Sweco Infrastructure pocketed a contract to be TBM inspector for the Hallandsås project. Visit www.swecogroup.com 38/08.

FCC and Copisa have subcontracted to SELI the construction of the 5,716 m Sant Just water tunnel which will link the Fontsanta and Trinitat potable water stations, respectively located in Sant Just Desvern and Barcelona. The subcontract amounts to EUR10.7 million. The bored diameter is 5.98 m, which is a cross-section of 28.09 square metres, while the inner diameter equals 5.20 m after lining with precast concrete segments.

Geoconsult España won a EUR3.6 million contract for support to the construction management and follow-up of safety measures during construction of the tunnels on the Sants-La Roca del Vallès and Riudellots-Figueras sections. These two sections include four TBM-built tunnels to cross Barcelona, Monteada and Girona stretching for a total of 10.6 km, eight tunnels built by conventional methods, stretching for a total of 13.6 km, seven cut-and-cover tunnels stretching for 4.3 km, and four false tunnels stretching for a total of 2.1 km. Visit www.geoconsult.es 38/08.

The engineering institute of the national autonomous university of Mexico (UNAM) will be the adviser to the federal district government during the construction of Line 12 of the Mexico City metro, that goes from Mixcoac to Tláhuac. The UNAM will assist the client in the areas of geotechnics, structural engineering and environmental impact. The technical advising consists in reviewing, analysing and evaluating the aspects related to geotechnical and geoseismical engineering associated with the analysis, design and construction of the Golden line

CMC signed a EUR180 million construction contract for the Theun Hinboun expansion project. The project is the expansion from 220 to 440 MW of the installed capacity of the existing hydroelectric power plant originally built by Recchi-CMC JV in 1995-1998. The contract has been awarded by Theun Hinboun Power Company Ltd, owner and operator of the existing power plant and co-owned by Electricité du Laos (60%),

Reinforcement works of the crown of the 4 km bidirectional Comelico tunnel on trunk road SS 52 Carnica, in Belluno province, commenced on 15th September. These works will take 60 days and aim at reducing the water ingress from the overlying rock and consolidating the top heading of the tunnel by rebuilding the groundwater collection and drainage.

Tuscany-based Satrel secured three contracts for lighting, ventilation and safety works in tunnels on highway A23 Udine-Carnia-Tarvisio, in Udine province, and on highway A27 Venezia-Belluno, in Belluno province.