Announcement of intent to design ring road with River Shannon crossing for NRA, Dublin, fax +353 166 80009. Visit www.nra.ie 26/01.620 m-long immersed tube across River Shannon will be part of $285 million design-build-operate tender for 10 km-long Limerick southern ring road expected end-2001, for construction start 2003. Visit www.cowi.dk 39/01.Preinformation notice for PPR contract for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of approximately 10 km of dual carriageway forming part of a southern bypass to Limerick, including a 900 m immersed tube tunnel to cross the River Shannon. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=058342-2004, OJ S 69, or contact National Roads Authority, Dublin, fax +353 16680009 or 14122500. E-mail gmurphy@nra.ir or lerato.mulvaney@kpmg.ie. Read E-News Weekly 48/2003. 16/04.Negotiated procedure, 3rd June, 2004 for design, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of part of the southern bypass of Limerick extending from Rossbrien to the existing N18 near Cratloe Castle in County Clare. The project includes a 900 m immersed tube tunnel to cross the River Shannon. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=061769-2004, OJ S 73, or contact National Roads Authority, Dublin, fax +353 16680009 or 14122500. E-mail gmurphy@nra.ir or lerato.mulvaney@kpmg.ie. Read E-News Weekly 48/2003. 17/04.Preinformation notice for geotechnical ground investigation for the Limerick immersed tunnel to be developed as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=123089-2004, OJ S 143, or contact Limerick County Council, Limerick, fax +353 61496001. E-mail secretar@limerickcoco.ie or info@midwestroads.ie. Subscribe to E-News Weekly 7/2004 & 48/2003. 33-34/04.Four consortia have been approved for the tender stage for the DBFO (Design, Build, Finance & Operate) N7 Limerick southern ring road, Phase 2, including approx. 10 km of standard dual carriageway, 4 km of single carriageway and a 900 m tunnel under the River Shannon. They are Sli Nua (Laing O'Rourke Civil Engineering, Laing Roads, Hochtief Developments, Barclays European Infrastructure, Intertoll and Halcrow); Direct Route (Kellogg Brown & Root, Strabag, John Sisk & Son, Lagan Holdings and Roadbridge); Shannon Link (HBG Ascon, PJ Hegarty & Sons, NTR plc, Vinci Concessions and Vinci S.A.); and CLCBL, or Cummann Lusis Chuar Bhothair Luimnigh (Bouygues TP, DTP Terrassement and Egis Projects). The tender return date is 15th July, 2005.High-Point Rendel has been appointed lead design consultant to prepare a tender design for the CLCBL consortium. High-Point Rendel will provide consultancy services for a crossing of the River Shannon and will consider a number of alternatives including an immersed tube tunnel and access ramps, a high bridge and a low-level opening bridge. The construction JV comprises Bouygues TP, DTP Terrassement and Coffey. Jan De Nul, Scetauroute, Tunnel Engineering Consultants, Nicholas O'Dwyer & Partners, Scaldis and Volker Stevin are involved as subcontractors or consultants for the construction JV. Click ie/18. Visit www.hprendel.com 20/05.The National Roads Authority (NRA) has named the Direct Route consortium as the most economically advantageous tender for the private-public partnership (PPP) project under the Shannon river. The consortium includes Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), the construction arm of US firm Halliburton, Strabag, John Sisk & Son (Holdings) Ltd, Lagan Holdings Ltd and Roadbridge Ltd. The NRA will now proceed with discussions with Direct Route with a view to appointing it as the provisional preferred tenderer. If such discussions prove successful, that will potentially lead to a contract announcement for the project in spring 2006. The project includes a EUR100 million 900 m-long immersed tunnel under the Shannon. Read E-News Weekly 7/2004. Visit www.nra.ie 42/05.The National Roads Authority chose the Direct Route consortium, comprising Lagan, Roadbridge, John Sisk and Strabag, for the proposed Shannon tunnel. The consortium is expected to sign the formal contract in September, with work on the private-public partnership (PPP) project to begin shortly afterwards. The project is expected to be completed within four years. The Shannon tunnel will be the second only under-river tunnel in Ireland after the Jack Lynch tunnel in Cork. Costing an estimated EUR380 million, the project will involve the construction of a 900 m-long tunnel under the River Shannon at Limerick. Click ie/18. Visit www.nra.ie 14/06.Together with its Irish joint venture partner Fehily Timoney, Ramboll has won the assignment as independent consultant to the new tunnel project beneath the River Shannon near Limerick. The assignment involves a completely independent design check of the tunnel, which is an immersed tunnel. The assignment comprises the approx. 1 km tunnel itself, as well as the facilities where the tunnel makes landfall. The assignment is expected to have duration of two and a half years. Visit www.ramboll.dk and www.fehilytimoney.ie 35/06.