Vinci acquires Canada's Carmacks
French contractor Vinci is expanding its reach in Canada with the acquisition of Carmacks, a group of companies providing highway construction and maintenance works, by its transport segment Eurovia.
Eurovia has signed an agreement to acquire Carmacks, based in Edmonton, Alberta, for an undisclosed sum.
Carmacks, which has been operating in western Canada since 1974, provides civil construction services and highway maintenance to both the public and private sectors.
The company, which generates average annual revenue of CA$ 200 million (US$ 196 million), is active throughout the Canadian province of Alberta, which is currently experiencing rapid economic growth, and has long-term projects under contract in Edmonton and Calgary.
Strabag wins €254 million Polish road contract
Austrian contractor Strabag has secured a €254 million contract from Poland's General Directorate for National Roads & Highways (GDDKiA) to construct a 40km section of S8 expressway.
The section of road runs between the villages of Walichnowy and Sieradz Poludnie in central Poland. Work is scheduled to begin this month, with completion set for 2014.
Strabag said that, in addition to the construction of the four-lane expressway using concrete technology, a 19km section of the road between Walichnowy and Zloczew would include construction of 16 bridges and a junction with busy National Road 45.
"The extremely difficult geological conditions require the subsoil to be strengthened with a total of 60,000m of piles and 700,000m³ of geotextiles," Strabag said,
The second section between Zloczew and Sieradz Poludnie is 19.6km long and will be constructed as a two-lane road, also using concrete technology. The order further includes the construction of 18 bridges, the conversion of local and municipal roads, as well as the construction of the Dabrowa Wielka rest area, including technical infrastructure.
Strabag's Polish subsidiaries Herman Kirchner Polska, Strabag W Polsce and Heilit & Woerner Budowlana will carry out the contract.
Balfour Beatty sees ‘difficult’ market
UK-based contractor Balfour Beatty said its order book had remained stable in the year 2011 at over £15 billion (€18.2 billion), as increases in its US construction orders were offset by reductions in UK orders.
The company said that while overall trading remained in line with its expectations, it would continue to manage its business "on the basis that conditions in our core markets will remain difficult".
It added that it would seek to position itself to take advantage of positive medium, and long-term prospects for infrastructure markets.
Italian joint venture wins €791 million road contract
A joint venture between Italian contractors Impregilo and Astaldi has won a €791 million road building and tunnelling contract to construct a 38km section of highway in Italy.
Awarded by Italian road-building authority ANAS, the contract represents the third mega-lot of the Jonica state highway project (the SS-106). The section runs from the junction with state highway 534 (SS-534) to Roseto Capo Spulico in the Southern Cosenza region of Italy.
The contract includes construction of 13km of tunnels, 5km of viaducts and 20km of embankments, and is scheduled to take over seven years to complete.
Astaldi has a 60% share in the contract value, while Impregilo has 40%.
Both companies also worked on the first two mega-lots for the new highway, which runs from Salerno in south-western Italy to Reggio Calabria in the south. These sections - Mega-Lot 2, located in the Catanzaro area, and Mega-Lot 1, located in the Siderno area - are scheduled for completion within the next 18 months. These contracts were worth over €800 million and involved construction of 30km of highway.
Russian ring road
A new southern bypass is planned for Yekaterinburg in the Ural mountain area of Russia. The project is expected to cost up to US$721.5 million (€501 million) to construct. When complete, the bypass will connect the existing Chelyabinsk and Perm Highways. State-owned road company Avtodor will work with the local government for the Sverdlovsk Region to finalise the details of the firm building the link.
Key project for India
In India a major highway deal has been agreed for a road project in Gujarat worth an estimated US$810.8 million. The project will be handled under the build, finance, operate and transfer basis and will involve upgrading and widening a 102km section of NH-8 from Ahmedabad-Vadodara to six lanes. The project also includes upgrading 92km of the existing Ahmedabad-Vadodara expressway. The work is expected to take three years to complete. The 25-year concession deal for the project has been agreed between IRB Ahmedabad Vadodara Super Express Tollway unit of IRB Infrastructure Developers and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).). Meanwhile, a joint venture is being established for a 25.5km road project to connect Kattupalli port and Ennore port in Chennai. The joint venture will comprise Ennore Port, L&T Ship Building and Tamilnadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) and the road will be constructed on a build, operate and transfer basis. The project is expected to cost $81.5 million.
Skanska expands in Poland
Skanska Poland has acquired Polish road building contractor Pudiz group and its subsidiary WMPD - a deal which broadens Skanska's presence in the Polish market.
Pudiz group reported revenues for 2010 of PLN 160 million (€36 million). It is based in Olsztyn, in the north-east of Poland, and employs about 450 people.
Skanska said the acquisition had been approved by competition authorities.
President of Skanska Poland Krzysztof Andrulewicz said, "We are really pleased with this acquisition that helps Skanska enter a new geographical area of the Polish market. Pudiz is a financially stable company with a full range of services for road projects that will enable us to strengthen our position as the general contractor for road construction in north-east Poland."