The contract for Quebec Ministry of Transportation involves the rehabilitation of Montreal’s Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel and its access roads.
The work will be carried out by the Renouveau La Fontaine consortium, a 50-50 joint venture between Vinci subsidiaries Eurovia and Dodin Campenon Bernard and Canadian company Pomerleau.
Louis Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel, which was opened in 1967, runs a distance of 1.5km beneath the Saint-Lawrence River. It is a strategic transport corridor for the Montreal urban area, linking the eastern part of the Island of Montreal to the city of Longueuil and carrying 120,000 vehicles a day.
The rehabilitation aims to improve tunnel safety, optimise traffic and promote car-sharing and public transport.
The contract involves the financing, design and execution of rehabilitation works. The financing package includes a bank loan from a syndicate of five Canadian banks and a Japanese bank.
The works will begin in early 2021 for completion in July 2025. They include:
- repairing the tunnel structure; installing new fire protection facings; landscaping and architectural finishes; modernising all electrical, electromechanical and supervisory infrastructure, as well as deploying new fire safety equipment and smoke evacuation systems;
- widening the A20 motorway with the addition of a new bus and carsharing lane, as well rehabilitating 25km of pavement (on the A25 and A20) and an interchange.
Throughout the works, the consortium will be responsible for the operation, upkeep and maintenance of the various sites and roads, which will remain open to traffic at all times.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
