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.

Pöyry has been awarded an engineering services contract in the Gotthard base tunnel project by the Swiss Transtec Gotthard consortium. The assignment comprises support of the operational management, technical coordination and planning integration. The value of the contract is about EUR10 million.

AEPO secured a EUR2.3 million contract to design the 27 km Venta de Baños section on the Valladolid-Burgos-Venta de Baños-Palencia line. There are two tunnels, each 1.1 km in length. Visit www.aepo.es 20/08.

Elettrica System pocketed a EUR3 million contract to rehabilitate the lighting equipment in tunnels on highway A10 Genoa-Ventimiglia-French border: Madonna delle Grazie II (386 m), Vignetta (734 m), Cavetto I (241 m), Cavetto II (295 m), Varazze (374 m), Cantalupo (768 m), Piani di Celle (363 m),

Electro Obrist scooped a EUR2.62 million contract for the E&M equipment (ventilation, lighting and safety outfit) for the Ora bypass road and the connection between the Ora-San Lugano trunk road SS 48 and highway A22. The Ora bypass road includes the 995 m Castelfeder tunnel, which holed through in February. The connection between the SS 48 and the A22 is the second section of the Ora bypass road and includes the 1,078 m San Daniele tunnel. Tenders for the construction of the San Daniele tunnel have been declared void in March. Click here and here. Visit www.electro-obrist.com 20/08.

On 29th April, 2008, a consortium headed by Impregilo has been provisionally awarded a contract worth about EUR630 million for the final and constructional designs and construction of the first stretch of the Pedemontana Lombarda motorway, from highway A8 in Cassano Magnago to highway A9 in Lomazzo, and the first sections of the Como and Varese bypass roads and associated works.

A joint venture whose members are Baresel, Beton- und Monierbau, and Kirchhoff Leipzig Strassenbau scooped a EUR247 million contract to build the 11.8 km Magdala-Jena/Goeschwith section of motorway A4, including the 2 x 3.1 km Jagdberg tunnel. Visit www.baresel.de, www.bemo.net and www.kirchhoff-leipzig.de 20/08.

COWI signed a DKK7.9 million deal for technical engineering, preparation of planning and risk analysis for the second Roskilde fjord crossing, either a bridge or tunnel. Visit www.cowi.dk 20/08.

A joint venture of Laabmayr, Krammer, Stadlmann and BVR scooped a EUR92,300 contract for the preliminary design of the 2,330 m Gitzen tunnel on the Lamprechtshausen road B156, which forms part of the Bergheim bypass. Visit www.laabmayr.at and www.bvr.at 20/08.

Dibit Messtechnik received a EUR150,500 contract for construction supervision and control measurements on lots H1 and H2-2 on the Kundl/Radfeld-Baumkirchen section of the Inn valley railway. Lot H2-2 is a 2.4 km cut-and-cover tunnel section. Visit www.dibit-scanner.at or http://dibit.itz.cc 20/08. Bernard Ingenieure ZT pocketed a EUR1.06 million contract for site coordination for the technical equipment for lots A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A10, H1, H2-2 and O1 on the Kundl/Radfeld-Baumkirchen section of the Inn valley railway. Visit www.bernard-ing.com 20/08.

Östu-Stettin and H. Junger Bauges clinched a EUR11.5 million deal to refurbish the 5.4 km, first tube of the Katschberg tunnel on highway A10. The Katschberg mountain is located on the border of Carinthia and Salzburg, 100 km from the city of Salzburg. Visit www.oestu-stettin.at and www.junger.at 20/08.

Cavico Corp. announced that Cavico Transportation, its wholly owned subsidiary, has signed a contract, estimated to be approximately USD9.43 million, for tunnel construction at Huoi Quang hydropower plant. The total length of tunnel is 9,895.89 metres. Its external diameter is 9 m and the internal diameter equals 7.5 m. The geology is porphyric rock and rhyolite. The planned method of excavation is drill and blast and conventional excavator equipped with bucket.

The Coentunnel Company BV consortium, formed by VINCI Concessions and VINCI Construction’s subsidiaries CFE and Dredging International, together with Dura Vermeer, Arcadis, Besix and TBI, signed on 22nd April, 2008 the concession contract for the Coen tunnel in Amsterdam with the Dutch Minister for Water and Public Works. The project, worth over EUR500 million in total, calls for the financing, design and construction of an immersed, 8-lane road tunnel, refurbishment of the existing 600 m tunnel and maintenance of both tunnels for a period of 30 years.

A group of engineering firms led by Pro Iter, teaming with Eng Team & Partners, C&T Engineering, Geosyntech and Spain’s FHECOR, scooped a EUR764,600 contract to prepare the final design, safety coordination during final design and associated assignments (surveying, geotechnical and geological studies, etc.) as part of the upgrading of road SS13 "Pontebbana" from the south ring road in Udine to Pordenone province's road system, first lot on the section from Ronche di Fontanafredda interchange to Ponte della Delizia. The project includes a 1.4 km single-tube two-lane cut-and-cover tunnel. Visit www.proiter.it, www.engteam.it, www.cetengineering.it, www.geosyntech.it and www.fhecor.es 18-19/08.

Bemel Norge, Witt & Sohn's partner in Norway, pocketed a NOK7.2 million contract to supply impulse ventilators with a combined driving power of 72-80 kN for fire ventilation in a new 2.6 km-long tunnel on Bergen's west ring road, section Dolvik-Sandeide of road Rv 557. Visit www.bemel.no and www.wittfan.de 17/08.

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.