Ballast Nedam, Deme and Macquarie win Blankenburgtunnel tender

Dutch construction company 8636 Ballast Nedam along with Belgian dredging company 8637 Deme and Australian investment bank 2378 Macquarie have won the Blankenburgtunnel tender in the Netherlands.

The consortium - BAAK Blankenburg-Verbinding - will build the tunnel under the Nieuwe Waterweg river west of Vlaardingen, a city in southern Holland and on the north bank of the river Nieuwe Maas where it meets the Oude Maas.

The public-private partnership is worth around €1.2 billion, including design, construction and 20 year’s maintenance.

The tender was awarded by Rijkswaterstaat, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management. It will connect the A20 motorway to the A15 motorway, with site work to start next year.

Work includes construction of two junctions and the widening the A20 between the A24 and the Kethelplein junction.

The project is part of the masterplan Rotterdam Vooruit to develop the Rotterdam region between 2020-2040. The award is provisional depending on a cooling off period in which the other bidder may raise any objections.