Some Tunnelling news!

Some light news while we all continue to isolate through this corona virus thing.....and for a geek like me.....it is exciting....  

Following my post of 16th July last year..."A303 Stonehenge Scheme" etc.... Highways England tell us that..... the bidders have been selected to participate in the next stage of the procurement process - You can read more here:

Three-on-Stonehenge-tunnel-shortlist/16570
 https://www.transport-network.co.uk/

BeMo Tunnelling uk Ltd partnered with FCC Construction and Salini Impregilo

MILAN, March 20, 2020 – Salini Impregilo has joined the short list for the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down sustainable mobility project valued at £1.6 billion (€1.8 billion) to conserve Stonehenge, one of the most important archaeological sites in the United Kingdom, as well as improve the quality of life of the surrounding area, stimulate economic development and foster tourism. The project involves the construction of a dual carriageway road.   The Group participated in the preliminary selection process as a member of the MORE joint-venture with a 42.5% stake together with Spain’s FCC (leader with a 42.5% stake) and Austria’s BeMo with 15%. It brings a unique expertise in having excavated a combined total of 1,600 kilometres of underground work and tunnels during the past 60 years and 64,000 kilometres of roadwork throughout the world.  Salini Impregilo also brings its vast experience in managing projects that protect heritage sites in many countries, such as Abu Simbel in Egypt and the metro line in Thessaloniki in Greece where it used tunnel-boring machines to excavate near archaeological sites and worked to conserve an important ancient Roman road known as the decumanus maximum that was discovered during the development of the project. The A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down project, which will be awarded in early 2021, will unlock economic and social benefits for the South West region, improve road safety, improve connectivity, and project the environment as well as the archaeological site.  The existing road passes only 165 meters from Stonehenge and divides the World Heritage Site. The new project, part of the Road Investment Strategy in which the government is investing in projects across the country, foresees the construction of a two-lane carriageway divided in three sections: west, central and east - each one with junctions, bridges and green viaducts. With its participation in the public tender commissioned by Highways England, the Group returns to the United Kingdom after more than 10 years, confirming its commercial strategy to focus on countries with low risk profiles. In the United Kingdom, Salini Impregilo built the oncology center at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford and the Butetown Cardiff Link.                     

http://www.bouygues-tp.com/en/
Obviously a French company but in collaboration with J Murphy Construction....a name we're more familiar with, albeit Irish!!
Now, I'm favouring this Bouygues lot 'cos they built this pretty bridge - The Ile de Re͢ in the '1980's.   The writer of this blog was supposed to have crossed it from La Rochelle on June 6th this year but....has to wait until we get to the other side of this Corona virus thing!! 

 is a German construction company based in Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Hochtief is Germany's largest construction company and operates globally.   They are involved with construction project planning, finance, construction and operation. Work done in 2010 was €23.23 billion, with more than 80% coming from operations outside Germany.

The company's history dates back to 1874 and includes engineering feats such as the transplantation of the Abu Simbel rock temples in Egypt (saving them from the rise of the River Nile caused by the Aswan High Dam), and infrastructure projects like the new Athens International Airport and Germany's first nuclear power plant. It is also noted for its involvement with the Bauhaus movement, particularly for its work at Zollverein colliery and the reconstruction of the Kandinsky-Klee house in Dessau, both World Heritage Sites.  More recent constructions have included Bosphorus Bridge in Turkey, King Abdulaziz International Airport (Saudi Arabia), and the Messeturm and Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt.

Yes, the majority of bidders are foreign in origin, but we must be open minded here!  This is a challenging project and the job in hand requires specialist knowledge and experience the type of which may not be with British contractors. British companies were invited to tender....see my blog of 16th July last year.  

However, this is what Heritage Journal, who cannot seem to put a positive slant into anything they print say.....https://heritageaction.wordpress.com/2020/03/27/highways-england-forced-to-use-foreign-firms-for-their-dirty-work-at-stonehenge/