Teams invited to bid on George Massey bridge project

VANCOUVER – The Government of British Columbia has invited three pre-qualified bidding teams to participate in the Request for Proposals (RFP) stage to design, build, partially finance and operate the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $3.5 billion. The request for qualifications (RFQ) closed Aug. 3 and the three teams selected to participate in the RFP are:

Gateway Mobility Solutions

Equity partners: ACS Infrastructure Canada Inc., Aecon Concessions, HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions North America Inc. and Star America Infrastructure Partners
Design-build contractors: Dragados Canada, Inc. and Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited

Lower Mainland Connectors

Equity partners: Kiewit Canada, Macquarie and VINCI Concessions
Design-build contractors: B.A. Blacktop, Janin Atlas Inc. and Peter Kiewit Infrastructure Co.

Pacific Skyway Partners

Equity partners: Fluor Canada Ltd., John Laing Investment Limited and SNC-Lavalin Capital Inc.
Design-build contractors: American Bridge Company, Fluor Canada Ltd., and SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc.

The ministry expects to have its preferred proponent chosen by summer 2017.

The new bridge and associated highway improvements, including dedicated transit lanes, will cut some commute times in half and also improve travel-time reliability for the 10,000 transit passengers and more than 80,000 vehicles that use the tunnel each day, a release reads.

Elements of the project include:

Construction of a 10-lane bridge built to modern seismic standards, with four general travel lanes and one dedicated transit/High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction;
replacement of three interchanges at Westminster Highway, Steveston Highway and Highway 17A;
the widening of approximately 24 kilometres of Highway 99 to accommodate dedicated transit/HOV lanes from Bridgeport Road in Richmond to Highway 91 in Delta;
replacement of the Deas Slough Bridge;
construction of multi-use pathways on either side of the bridge for cyclists and pedestrians; and
decommissioning of the tunnel.

It is estimated that about 9,000 direct jobs will be created over the life of the George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project. Construction will begin in 2017 with the bridge opening in 2022, followed by tunnel decommissioning.