Australia’s Macquarie Group, South Korean civil engineering company SK Ecoplant and Italy’s Webuild got into a joint venture, known collectively as Sotra Link consortium has won a £1.65bn contract to finance, design, build and operate a 9.4 km, 4 lane road link in Norway.
It is the largest single contract ever awarded by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and includes the construction of a 900m long suspension bridge and 12.5 km of tunnels. Sotra Link will operate and maintain the link for 25 years after it opens to traffic in 2027.
The bridge will be 30 m wide and 900 m long and towers 114 m high. The project also includes a total of 12.5 km of tunnels, 19 road and pedestrian underpasses, 23 tunnel portals, 22 bridges and viaducts and 14 km of pedestrian and bicycle path.
NPRA’s construction director Kjell Inge Davik said: “Sotra Link has delivered a very competitive bid for the Sotra connection-contract and takes on considerable responsibility and risk for the project to be carried out at the agreed time and price. “The companies behind Sotra Link have extensive experience with implementing PPP contracts and extensive experience with the construction of suspension bridges and tunnels. We look forward to a close collaboration with Sotra Link for many years to come.”
