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 total of eight consortiums submitted offers for the construction of the La Línea tunnel. They are Korean consortium Posco Engineering & Construction-Daewoo Engineering & Construction; a Colombian-Chinese consortium named CGMA that includes local firm APA, and Chinese firms Mid-South Design & Research Institute (MSDI) and China Gezhouba Group Corp.

Expressions of interest are invited until 10th November, 2008 for the financing, design, construction, operation, maintenance of the Northern Link in Brisbane, consisting of parallel 5 km hard rock tunnels, safety and ventilation systems, fire protection and monitoring systems, and electronic tolling system.

Restricted invitation to tender, deadline 22nd October, 2008 for appointment of a project representative who will provide timely advice and assurance that the project is delivering the Sponsors' requirements within the budgeted parameters of cost, time and quality. The Sponsors are a joint team of the Department for Transport and Transport for London. Click here. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=246396-2008, OJ S 186, or contact Department for Transport, London, fax +44 2079442177. E-mail christopher.clark@dft.gsi.gov.uk 40/08.

Negotiated invitation to tender, deadline 19th October, 2008 for construction of civil and hydromechanical works for the Kavsakbendi RCC dam, including a 2,263 m 9 m ID tunnel and two divertion tunnels, 531 m and 330 m long and 7.9 m ID. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=246508-2008, OJ S 186, or contact Enerjisa Enerji Üretim, Istanbul, fax +90 2122810574 or 3124738546. E-mail msenturk@enerjisa.com.tr or lkasap@enerjisa.com.tr 40/08.

Open invitation to tender, deadline 4th November, 2008 for site inspection and monitoring in the construction phase of the Unterweitersdorf-Freistadt North section of the Muehlviertler expressway S10. The project includes the 2 x 4.4 km Götschka tunnel and the second tube of the 1.4 km Neumarkt tunnel. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=244092-2008, OJ S 184, or contact ASFINAG Bau Management, Vienna, fax +43 5010814420. E-mail baumanagement@asfinag.at 40/08.

Invitation to tender, deadline 1st October, 2008 for construction of the new Crystal Springs bypass (Polhemus) tunnel in San Mateo County. The contract consists of the excavation and construction of approximately 1,380 m length of tunnel and associated shafts, initial lining, and monitoring instrumentation/system and other associated works. The project is expected to employ a tunnel boring machine.

ADIF, the railway infrastructure administration, received five bids for the construction of the high speed rail tunnel that will cross Madrid. It is budgeted at EUR246.2 million and will take a maximum time frame of 32 months to construct. The five bidders are a consortium formed by Ferrovial and Acciona; a second joint venture of ACS and FCC; a team of Vías y Construcciones, Isolux Corsán and Comsa; a consortium between Sacyr Vallehermoso and Aldesa; and OHL allied with Sando and Azvi.

Accelerated restricted invitation to tender, deadline 24th September, 2008 for engineering related to the 13.9 km western extension of the Helsinki metro to Espoo. The section will all run underground in a twin tube tunnel.

Negotiated invitation to tender, deadline 26th September, 2008 for construction supervision of lot KAT 1 of the Koralm tunnel on the Graz-Klagenfurt high speed line. This lot includes a 2 x 2 km mined tunnel. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=237938-2008, OJ S 178, or contact ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau, Vienna, fax +43 19300045829. E-mail anne.schuster@bau.oebb.at 38/08.

Negotiated invitation to tender, deadline 29th September, 2008 for planning of a tunnel, approx. 2 km long, on the southern shore of the Neckar river in the old city of Heidelberg. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=216721-2008, OJ S 160, or contact Stadt Heidelberg, Heidelberg, fax +49 62215827900 or 7112229334183. E-mail ulrich.zwissler@heidelberg.de or franziska.vogelsang@dreso.com 36/08.

Expressions of interest, deadline 18th September, 2008 for detailed design for tunnels and associated structures for the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link. The section from Guangzhou to Shenzhen will start operation in 2010. The Hong Kong section will use a dedicated corridor in tunnel. Plans call for the construction of a 26 km tunnel from the existing west Kowloon rail terminal to the Hong Kong-Shenzhen boundary at Huanggang. Construction is due to start in late 2009 for completion in 2014 or 2015.

The Dagachhu Hydro Power Corporation (DHPC) invites sealed bids, deadline 30th September, 2008, for design, build and completion of Lot I (civil works), consisting of engineering, procurement and construction of a diversion weir, connection channel and tunnel, desilter, shafts, powerhouse, maintenance and control buildings, water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment system, lighting and small power distribution system.

Costain, Murphy and Morgan Est are the three firms working up bids for a tender return in September for a GBP600 million scheme to build four cable tunnels in London for National Grid. National Grid is planning to start building the 4 m-diameter tunnels next year. The first part of the deal is worth about GBP473 million and will involve boring 27.5 km of tunnel in two sections - including a continuous tunnel of 20 km - from Hackney in the east to Willesden in the west, due to be completed in 2015.

Negotiated procedure, deadline 19th September, 2008 for Crossrail enabling works, advance works civils framework. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=202669-2008, OJ S 150, or contact Cross London Rail Links Ltd, London, tel. +44 2030239504. Click here. Visit www.crossrail.co.uk 34-35/08.

Further details are available about the Roveredo bypass and San Fedele tunnel. An invitation to tender for construction management is ongoing and the owner is currently assessing bids from contractors for the construction.