OHL Concesiones, pre-awarded for the project to build a new bridge over the Saint Lawrence river in Montreal

July 22, 2014

  • The total cost of the project has been estimated by the Canadian Government at 3,000-5,000 Million CAD
  • The bridge, 3.4 km. long, currently receives close to 70 million cars a year

The St. Lawrence New Bridge Partnership, led by OHL Concesiones, has been pre-awarded by the Federal Government of Canada to participate in the tender for a concession to design, finance, construct, operate and maintain a new bridge over the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal.

This pre-award was obtained following a competitive tender in which six teams were involved which, as a whole, represent all of the world’s major infrastructure developers, construction and engineering companies. Yesterday, the Canadian Government published a list of the three groups that were pre-awarded the project.

The pre-award of the team led by the company, which includes the Dutch fund DIF, the Spanish company Acciona Concesiones and the Korean multinational Samsung, amongst others, indicates the trust placed in the partnership by the Canadian Government to undertake a project that involves huge technical complexity, financial capacity and consolidated experience for added value.

The new toll bridge will replace the current Champlain Bridge, one of Canada’s busiest, which currently receives approximately 70 million cars a year. This infrastructure links the city of Montreal to New York and is one of the most valuable roads in the Canadian economy.

The construction process will begin in 2015, the bridge will be commissioned in 2018 and a complex access network on both banks of the Saint Lawrence River is expected to be completed around 2020. The Canadian Government has estimated the project’s total cost at 3,000-5,000 Million CAD and the concession will last for 30 years following commencement of operations.

The new bridge over the Saint Lawrence River is the second project currently pre-awarded to OHL Concesiones in tenders in Canada. The first, launched in December 2013, covers the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, a light rail train 20 km. long crossing Toronto from East to West, in the province of Ontario. This concession has been granted for a 30-year term and the estimated investment is higher than 5,000 Million CAD. Two groups have been pre-awarded the tender in order to file bids in 2014.