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.

The Veneto regional assembly has approved a financing proposal presented by Grandi Lavori Fincosit, Adria Infrastrutture and Mantovani for the design, construction and operation under concession of the so-called Alpe Adria connection-Extension of highway A27. From the administrative point of view, the proposal has been sent to the regional council to be submitted to a commission of counsellors for approval prior to be examined and approved by the interministerial committee for economic planning (CIPE). Once the CIPE has approved the preliminary project, the project will be subject to an international tender to appoint the concessionaire for the project. The proposal plans to extend to north highway A27 Mestre-Belluno, starting from  Pian di Vedoia and ending in Pian de l'Abate south of Caralte, with connection to road SS 51 di Alemagna. The scheme will extend the highway up to Macchietto in the Cadore area at the foothills of the Dolomites. To view the route, click here. Visit www.glf.it and www.fip-group.it/mantovani

The project length, including the junctions, is approx. 21 km, with bridges and viaducts accounting for around 3.5 km and six tunnels, one of which in cut-and-cover, for a total of 11 km each way. For details, click here. Each carriageway will carry two 3.75 m lanes, an emergency lane and a 2.60 m median. The total estimated investment is around EUR1.2 billion. This is the first of three sections on the A27-A22 corridor aimed at extending the highway from the Cadore to the Carnia, where it will connect with the A23 Palmanova-Tarvisio. The connection with the A23 in Friuli-Venezia Giulia region is planned in a second stage, which will allow motorists to join Austria. 29/08.