Vinci consortium preferred bidder in Slovakia

A consortium of Vinci Concessions and the ABN Amro Highway private equity fund has been named preferred bidder to build and maintain the R1 expressway in Slovakia over a 30-year concession period.

The public private partnership (PPP) is valued at more than € 1 billion, and comprises the finance, design, construction, operation and maintenance of 52 km of expressway in four separate sections. Rather than charge motorists a toll, the consortium will be remunerated through annual royalties by the concession grantor, the Slovak Ministry of Transport, Post and Telecommunications.

If the Vinci consortium is successful, the construction work will be carried out by Stavby Silnic a Zeleznic (SSZ), the wholly owned Czech subsidiary of its road building division, Eurovia. Vinci concession would operate the road.