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 ..

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...

Invitation for prequalification, deadline 6th June, 2008 for the main civil works of the 309 MW Upper Tamakoshi hydroelectric project (contract No. UTKHEP/03-2064/65) which consist of a 22.5 m-high and 60 m-long diversion dam; the Bhaise Khola intake structure including an approx. 60 m-long connecting shaft to the headrace tunnel;

Sociedad Concesionaria Autopista Los Libertadores S.A. was awarded the concession for the construction and operation of the 117 km Santiago-Colina-Los Andes highway under a public tender in 1997, for a term of 28 years. The operator is owned by OHL of Spain. OHL will invest USD101 million in expanding and improving the highway. The Chacabuco tunnel will be doubled and the upgrading of a 19.5 km

Invitation to prequalify, deadline unspecified, for construction of 750 mm-diameter gas pipelines. Contractors are required to have experience in tunnelling and microtunnelling. Visit http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=67831-2008, OJ S 49, or contact Snam Rete Gas, San Donato Milanese, fax +39 0252038570. Visit mevem@snamretegas.it 13/08.

On 21st December, 2007, Roma Metropolitane signed with Metro C, the general contractor for Line C of the Rome metro, consortium Fastigi, Ansaldo Trasporti Sistemi Ferroviari, Ansaldobreda and consortium Train, a protocol of intent related to a fire test during which a train carriage for the future Line C of the Rome metro will be burnt. The goal of the experiment is to test and validate in a definitive way the simulations carried out during the planning phase. The preparation of the test will take 12 months and the test itself will take place between 15th and 20th December, 2008 in the Recentino railway tunnel on a disused section of the Orte-Falconara line. Visit www.romametropolitane.it, www.metrocspa.it, www.fastigi.com, www.atsf.it, www.ansaldobreda.it and www.consorziotrain.com

The safety of commuters in case of fire on a train in a metro tunnel has been one of the most detailed aspects during the planning phase of Line C. During the project design, several simulations in the event of a fire on board a train running in the tunnel have been performed, using fluid mechanics calculations, with the objective to design accordingly the installations planned for the safeguard of commuters.

Burning a metro train carriage represents an unusual and unique event, of national and international prominence, that will enable planners to collect invaluable data, not only for Line C but also for all other lines, and use these data to define in the best way the strategies to prevent fires and to implement rescue interventions of commuters in the tunnels.

The objective of this real-scale fire test, which will be organised recreating the real conditions expected in Line C, is therefore to confirm the functional and technological choices of the Line C system decided for the safeguard of commuters in case of fire. In particular, the test will allow to:

• measure the thermal power curve produced by the burnt carriage, the maximum power developed, the critical propagation speed of the smoke, and the carriage fire load;

• check the human livability in the tunnel and inside the carriage thanks to the measurement of the released toxic substances, the increase of temperatures, the reduction of visibility caused by the

concentration of smoke, etc.;

• to validate the figures of the carriage fire load;

• to verify the E&M equipment chosen for Line C.

Roma Metropolitane will participate in the experiment as awarding authority of the Line C contracts and will work narrowly with the safety commission set up by the Ministry of transport and the test committee for Line C. Metro C will participate, as general contractor entrusted with the construction of the trunk section of Line C from Clodio/Mazzini to Pantano. Ansaldo Trasporti Sistemi Ferroviari will participate as responsible for the automatic railway systems for this section and Ansaldobreda will participate as supplier of the rolling stock.

The consortium Fastigi will participate in the test as tenant of the Recentino tunnel. Fastigi is a training as well as scientific and technological research company operating in the field of major infrastructure projects, in particular underground works. Train is a consortium promoted by Enea, the national agency for new technologies, energy and the environment, that operates in the R&D of technologies for innovative transport. They will participate in the fire safety test as member of the SITI (Sicurezza In Tunnel Intelligente) research programme, co-financed by the Ministry of universities and research. Click here and it/1417/08.