Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority has decided on a new $140 million two-lane, immersed tube tunnel beneath the River Tyne to be financed, designed, built and operated by a private consortium. The new tunnel will effectively dual the existing A19, one of the key economic corridors in the North-East of England. Tenders will be issued in late-2003 and work is expected to begin in May, 2004 for an opening in December, 2006. More from bompr@compuserve.com or visit www.arup.com 25/01. Bid submitted by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority to build a new £139 million Tyne tunnel. Public inquiry expected to be held in the autumn of 2002. If the scheme is approved, the new 1.6 km tunnel could be open by 2007. Immersed tube technique plus cut-and-cover. Visit www.twpta.gov.uk/ntc/index.htm 23/02.Preinformation notice for design, build and finance of a new vehicular tunnel between north and south Tyneside, all approach roads and associated works. Also operation and maintenance of the new tunnel, the existing vehicular tunnel and the existing pedestrian/cycle tunnels. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=214500-2003, OJ S 241, or contact Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority, Newcastle, fax +44 1912116099. E-mail paul.fenwick@newcastle.gov.uk. Visit www.twpta.org.uk 02/04.Restricted procedure, deadline 3rd February, 2004 for construction-related highway services including new construction, improvements, refurbishments, traffic management, repairs and maintenance. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=002056-2004, OJ S 3, or contact Council of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle, fax +44 1912115909. E-mail john.ramsay@newcastle.gov.uk or jean.jarvis@newcastle.gov.uk 03/04.Negotiated procedure, deadline 7th May, 2004 for design, build, finance, operation and maintenance of a new immersed tube tunnel, all approach roads and associated works. Also includes the upgrading of ventilation, communications, signing and emergency escapes in the 1,645 m-long existing tunnel as well as operation and maintenance of the existing tunnel and the existing pedestrian/cycle tunnels. DBFO contract expected to be awarded in autumn 2005. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=046374-2004, OJ S 54, or contact Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority, Newcastle, fax +44 1912116099. E-mail paul.fenwick@newcastle.gov.uk. Visit www.newtynecrossing.info 13/04.The four prequalified bidders for the second Tyne crossing are Balfour Beatty; John Laing; Bouygues; and a joint venture of Mowlem / Nuttall / Vinci. The four are now on the shortlist for the next stage of the procurement process. The project is to build a new 1.6 km immersed tunnel parallel to the existing crossing. The estimated capital cost is approximately GBP180 million at today's prices. Visit www.newtynecrossing.info 41/04.The Bouygues Travaux Publics-led consortium has been appointed preferred bidder designate for the New Tyne Crossing by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority (TWPTA). The final 30-year concession contract to finance, design and construct a second vehicle tunnel alongside the existing Tyne tunnel and to operate and maintain all the tunnels (including the pedestrian and cycle tunnels) under the river, is expected to be signed in August this year. Bouygues beat the Balfour Beatty-led Connect North East consortium, which has been placed on stand-by should agreement not be reached with Bouygues. The Bouygues team includes Parsons Brinckerhoff, Wood Holmes Group, Hall Construction, Clancy Dowcra, Faber Maunsell, Insite Environments, Colas and Able UK. The New Tyne Crossing is a 1.5 km immersed tunnel and major and complex civil engineering project which will complete the dualling of the A19, a strategic road that links the North East's three largest conurbations. Click uk/36. Read E-News Weekly 6/2007, 5/2006, 44/2005, 34/2005 & 5/2003. Visit www.newtynecrossing.info, www.bouygues-construction.com, www.pbworld.com and www.fabermaunsell.com 17/07.After being named preferred bidder a few months ago, Bouygues Construction has signed the contract worth more than EUR500 million to build and operate the new Tyne crossing under-river tunnels in Newcastle. A concession operator named TT2 and made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, HSBC Infrastructure Fund II and Bank of Scotland Corporate was selected to carry out the work, which is expected to take four years, followed by the operation of the tunnels. The contract includes the design and construction of a new tunnel, the renovation of the existing tunnel, financing and the operation of the whole system for 30 years (including the duration of the works). Visit www.newtynecrossing.info and www.bouygues-construction.comMotorway A19 that links Newcastle's north and south is a dual two-lane carriageway that narrows to one single lane in each direction in the tunnel. This bottleneck causes important disruptions. The new tunnel, which will duplicate the existing tunnel link, is 1,600 m long, whereof 360 m under the Tyne. For its crossing of the river, the tunnel will consist of 90 m-long precast concrete caissons. Bouygues proposed the TIMBY (standing for Tunnel IMmergé BouYgues) process developed by its engineers Pierre Longchamp, Philippe Autuori and Patrick Palbras in conjunction with Herrenknecht but the caissons will be built in the classical manner in a dry yard. Click here. The TIMBY concept has received in January this year the first innovation prize from the French federation for public works (FNTP). Visit www.fntp.fr/actualite/dp/DPinnovation26012007.pdfTyne & Wear Passenger Transport Authority (TWPTA) is to provide a subsidy of EUR160 million, HSBC Infrastructure Fund II, Bank of Scotland Corporate, and Bouygues Travaux Publics will provide EUR54 million in capital, and TT2 has contracted a EUR290 million senior debt loan from banks HSBC, Bank of Scotland Corporate and Natixis. Construction of the new tunnel, worth EUR355 million euros, will start first. When finished, all traffic will be diverted through the new tunnel while the existing tunnel is renovated and upgraded to current safety standards. Work is slated to commence in March 2008 for opening of the new tunnel and the renovated existing tunnel in December 2011. 49/07.In December, Arup has been appointed technical advisor during the construction phase which will see the existing Tyne tunnel double in capacity by introducing a new 1.6 km tunnel, including an immersed tube tunnel. The new tunnel will carry two lanes of southbound traffic while the existing tunnel will be converted to carry two lanes of traffic travelling northbound. Arup worked with the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority (TWPTA) for the last eight years to develop designs for the crossing and to help procure a concessionaire for the project. Construction of the new Tyne crossing is scheduled to begin next spring and take four years. Read E-News Weekly 4/2008. Click here. Visit www.arup.com and www.newtynecrossing.info 08/08.The contract to build the immersed tube section of Newcastle's GBP260 million Tyne tunnel has been awarded to specialist contractor Volker Stevin Marine by tunnel concessionaire TT2, a consortium led by French contractor Bouygues Travaux Publics. It handed Volker Stevin Marine the GBP16 million contract to manufacture, transport and submerse the tunnel units that will form the structure's 360 m immersed tube section. The contract involves the construction of four 90 m-long split sections of rectangular precast and reinforced concrete, which are 8.5 m by 15 m in size and altogether will require 14,400 cubic metres of concrete. The tunnel sections will be built in the dry dock before being floated down the Tyne adjacent to the existing tunnel where they are expected to be submerged in Autumn 2009. TT2 began preliminary works on the 1.6 km tunnel in April and is set to begin the cut-and-cover section of the structure this summer. The new Tyne crossing will run parallel to the existing Tyne tunnel between East Howdon on the north bank of the river Tyne and Jarrow on the south bank. The new tunnel will carry all southbound traffic, whilst the existing tunnel will carry all northbound traffic. Visit www.volkerstevin.co.uk and www.newtynecrossing.info 24/08.Meanwhile, consultant Halcrow has also been appointed to design the mechanical and electrical systems for the new Tyne crossing. The M&E design will include tunnel-related aspects of ventilation, fire and incident detection, fire suppression, traffic control, electrical supply arrangements, drainage and lighting. Visit www.halcrow.com 24/08.French-owned Bouygues Travaux Publics has appointed consultants HPR to design and manage the new Tyne crossing. The brief will include design coordination and designing components of the scheme, managing regulatory approvals and consents for the scheme, and design of highway works, the immersed tunnel, cut-and-cover tunnel approaches, bridges and buildings. The new Tyne crossing will deliver a second two-lane 1.6 km vehicle tunnel under the River Tyne to ease traffic congestion between East Howdon and Jarrow, and will complete the dualling of the A19 from its junction with the A1 in southeast Northumberland to north Yorkshire. The new tunnel is expected to open in 2010 and the refurbished existing tunnel complete in late 2011 to bring it up to modern safety standards. Construction costs are estimated at GBP260 million. Visit www.hprconsult.com and www.newtynecrossing.info 27/08.Restricted invitation to tender, deadline 26.01.2009, for asbestos removal and encapsulation works on caulking in central Newcastle tunnels owned by Nexus, the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive. Contract commencement 01.04.2009. Prequalification requirements, together with specs and docs, from Paul Claughton at Nexus, tel +44 19 1203 3355, e-mail paul.claughton@nexus.org.uk. http://ted.europa.eu/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=336748-2008 01/09.