Oden Anläggningsentreprenad secured a SEK112.7 million contract to construct the 835 m Gårdberg tunnel on the Adalsbanan line. Visit www.oden.nu and www.banverket.se/adalsbanan 31/08...

The Ministry of development awarded FCC a EUR97 million contract for the construction of the southbound carriageway on the southern motorway A-4, section Venta de Cárdenas-Santa Elena. This 9 km section includes the 166 m La Cantera tunnel and the 1,823 m Despeñaperros tunnel, which is a three-lane tunnel. Click es/113 for more details. Visit www.fcc.es 31/08...

Acciona Infraestructuras concluded a EUR81.4 million deal with the Ministry of development to build the Valls-Montblanc bypass on the Tarragona-Montblanc motorway A-27. The 5.1 km section includes the Lilla tunnel, which consists of two bores of 1,565.50 m (left tube) and 1,567.41 m (right tube). Click es/89 for more details. Visit www.acciona-infraestructuras.es 31/08...

Ferrovial Agroman scooped a EUR82.1 million construction contract for the 8.6 km Rialiño-Padrón section on the Atlantic coast high speed line. This section includes the 1,460 m-long 85 sq m Bustelo tunnel. Visit www.ferrovial.es 31/08. ..

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

The EUR845 million Liefkenshoek railway connection project involves the construction and maintenance of the civil infrastructure for a new 16.2 km freight-only railway, whereof 8 km in tunnel, linking the western docks and eastern docks of Antwerp. The project is a design, build, finance and maintain type agreement, with a maturity period of 41½ years

Solicitation for conceptual proposals, deadline 29th September, 2008 for improvements to the Downtown tunnel, the Midtown tunnel and the Martin Luther King (MLK) freeway extension between Norfolk and Portsmouth in the Hampton Roads area, as part of a plan to make an estimated USD1 billion.

Costain, main contractor for the recently initiated Holmesdale tunnel widening and maintenance project, has placed what is believed to be the largest single order (EUR2.7 million) for spray applied passive fire protection materials in the UK.

Starting in September, spray applied Cafco Fendolite M11, manufactured by Alfreton-based passive fire protection manufacturer Cafco International, is being installed to protect 64,000 square metres of concrete roof beams, the diaphragm walls and a newly constructed 3 m-high reinforced concrete central dividing wall, both in the east and west bound bores of the 2 x 650 m tunnel, built in 1984 on the M25 London orbital motorway. The material is to be used in conjunction with the impervious basecoat, Cafco Aqualite and Cafco's light reflectant topcoat LRTC 100. Visit www.cafcointl.com

The decision to employ Cafco Fendolite M11 was taken by an integrated team of Costain, Capita Symonds and Mouchel Parkman Services and the Highways Agency, following the evaluation of a wide selection of products and systems. The Cafco Fendolite M11 system was the only material that fully satisfied the rigorous fire performance, durability, washability and light reflection performance requirements specified for the project. The material is being applied by specialist installers PFP Contracting of Grangemouth, Scotland. Visit www.costain.com, www.capitasymonds.co.uk, www.mouchelparkman.com and www.pfpcontracting.com

Fendolite M11 will insulate the concrete structure from the effects of fire and ensure that the structure does not reach temperatures that would cause the concrete to spall, or the steel reinforcement bars to buckle and collapse. It will ensure that the structure's roof beams, outer and new central dividing walls will be protected from damage and collapse for a minimum of three hours under the most extreme fire exposure conditions, including the more significant hydrocarbon conflagrations, such as those caused by a petrol tanker fire.  Hydrocarbon fires, created by a combination of chemicals, gas and petroleum, are far more severe than cellulosic fires and as a result the design team had to consider protective materials that are more commonly used for onshore petrochemical and power complexes and offshore oil and gas production projects.

Cafco Fendolite M11 is a single pack, factory controlled premix based upon Vermiculite and Portland Cement. The material has a proven track record of protecting tunnel linings and more than one million square metres have been treated around the world during the past ten years, making it the most widely specified system on the market.

With an average annual daily traffic rate of more than 60,000 vehicles travelling through each bore of the M25 structure, Holmesdale is the busiest road tunnel in the Trans European Road Network (TERN). When refurbishment is completed, the Holmesdale tunnel will meet all the requirements for minimum safety standards as defined in the European Directive (2004/54/EC), creating greatly enhanced levels of safety for motorists.

The 18-month tunnel refurbishment project, which also includes safer entry to and exit improvements to junction 25 (with A10) of the motorway to reduce congestion, began in May 2006. 

The eastbound carriageway is to be widened by one lane through the junction, with both the east and westbound carriageways being widened on the east side of the junction and through the tunnel. In addition to the installation of fire protection, works will include the replacement of lighting, ventilation equipment, internal cladding, tunnel control systems, traffic monitoring and control systems, emergency phones and the improvement of drainage and the removal of raised walkways. Read E-News Weekly 20/2006, 48/2004 & 39/2004. For further information on this project and tunnel fire protection in general, contact Cafco International, tel. +44 1773837900, fax +44 1773 836710, e-mail info@cafcointl.com 42/06.