Marigold Infrastructure Partners selected as Edmonton’s Valley Line West LRT builder

EDMONTON — Marigold Infrastructure Partners (MIP) has been chosen to design, build and partially finance the 14-kilometre Valley Line West LRT project, city officials announced recently.

The partnership includes Colas, Parsons, Standard General, Francl Architecture, Fast & Epp and Stantec.

“Marigold Infrastructure Partners is very excited to work with the City of Edmonton on the Valley Line West LRT. As partners of MIP, Colas — whose subsidiary Standard General has delivered projects in Edmonton since 1969, and Parsons — building on their decades-long legacy of delivering P3 projects in Alberta, are proud to help the city build Edmonton and meet its long-term strategic goals,” said Xavier Fenaux with Colas Canada in a statement.

MIP and the city are now working out the final details of the contract. Construction is expected to commence in 2021 and is anticipated to take about five to six years to complete.

While COVID-19 complicated things, the city adapted and shifted the process online. Proponents first provided technical submissions, including draft designs and plans, to show they have the skills to meet the project’s technical requirements.

All teams passed this stage and were invited to submit a financial proposal. The city evaluated these proposals to make sure they met their requirements and the team with the lowest financial bid was selected.

City officials noted the new LRT line could play a crucial role in helping the city recover from COVID-19’s economic effects.

An economic assessment of the project estimates that construction will generate $760 million in wages in Alberta and another $209 million throughout the country. It is expected to generate 8,800 jobs in the province and 2,700 across Canada.

The $2.6-billion Valley Line West project has funding commitments from the Province of Alberta and Government of Canada. It is the second phase of the Valley Line, a 27-kilometre low-floor urban style LRT line that will provide seamless connection between Mill Woods and Lewis Farms once complete. The first phase of the project, Valley Line Southeast, is currently under construction.