VANCOUVER — Provincial officials in B.C. have announced the Acciona-Ghella Joint Venture as the preferred proponent for the Broadway Subway Project in downtown Vancouver.
The team will now be tasked with negotiating a contract for designing, building and partially financing the project.
The Broadway Subway Project will see Millennium Line extended almost six kilometres from VCC-Clark Station to Broadway and Arbutus. The province noted that SkyTrain service is badly needed in the area, which is B.C.’s second-largest jobs centre and hosts a growing residential community as well.
The Acciona-Ghella Joint Venture consists of:
- Proponent: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd.
- Design-build contractor: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd.
- Design contractor: IBI Group Professional Services (Canada) Inc./Dialog BC Architecture Engineering Interior Design Planning Inc./Mott MacDonald Canada Ltd./Ingenieria Especializada Obra Civil e Industrial, S.A.
- Systems integration contractor: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd./Parsons Inc.
- Tunnel contractor: Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc./Ghella Canada Ltd.
The province issued its request for qualifications on BC Bid in February and then shortlisted proponents were invited to respond to the request for proposals. Officials stated they chose a design-build-finance model.
The delivery of the project will be led by Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp) on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. TI Corp will provide the controls, practices and other oversight that are essential for this complex project.
The project also falls under B.C.’s Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).
Through the CBA, the project will prioritize increasing training and apprenticeship opportunities and prioritize hiring locals, Indigenous peoples, women, people with disabilities and other traditionally underrepresented groups, including youth, who want to build a career in the skilled trades.
BC Infrastructure Benefits is responsible for implementing the CBA for the project and will be the employer for the majority of the skilled workforce on the project.
The CBA policy has proved controversial among many non-union groups and is currently being challenged in court.
The section of track, once open, will be an 11-minute ride. Officials anticipate this will save the average transit commuter almost 30 minutes a day, while also relieving traffic congestion along Broadway. Construction is scheduled to start later this year, with the line going into service in 2025.
The project budget is $2.83 billion, funded and delivered by the Government of B.C., with contributions from the Government of Canada and the City of Vancouver.
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