Vinci wins Ohio River bridge contract

A consortium led by French contractor Vinci has been awarded a US$ 1 billion contract to design and build one of the biggest transport infrastructure projects in the US.

WVB East End Partners, a consortium made up for Vinci Concessions, Walsh Investors and Bilfinger Berger PI International Holdings, has been named preferred bidder for the financing, design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Ohio River Bridges Project’s East End Crossing by the Indiana Finance Authority.

The public-private agreement includes the construction of a 762 m cable-stayed bridge across the Ohio River that will link Louisville, Kentucky to Southern Indiana. Works also include a 512 m twin-bore tunnel on the Kentucky approach to the bridge, and 19 additional bridges, along with associated roadway improvements and other related infrastructure work.

The new East End Bridge is to be built 13 km from downtown Louisville, connecting the Gene Snyder Freeway to the Lee Hamilton Highway.

Construction will commence in summer 2013 and completion is expected by autumn 2016. The works will be executed by a design-build joint venture including Walsh Construction (60%), VINCI Construction Grands Projets (40%) and Jacobs Engineering for the engineering works.

The WVB East End Partners consortium will be responsible for the operation, routine maintenance and rehabilitation of the infrastructure for a period of 35 years.

The East End Crossing is part of the broader Ohio River Bridges Project, one of the largest transport improvements in the US.