NB 365
March 26, 2004
FREDERICTON (CNB) - Transportation Minister Paul Robichaud announced today that all four of the consortia that responded to a request for qualifications (RFQ) are being invited to submit proposals for the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway.
These four consortia are: Brun-Way Group Joint Venture, Upper Valley Highway Consortium, Saint John Valley Highway Group, and River Valley Road Development Company.
"With this announcement, the four consortia can immediately start their preparation to submit responses to the request for proposals," Robichaud said.
Through the RFQ process, the technical and financial abilities of the consortia underwent a thorough evaluation by the Departments of Transportation and Finance, and other government departments and agencies. The four consortia are invited to move forward since they all met the requirements spelled out in the RFQ.
Originally, the project included the design, construction, and financing of the 100-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway between Grand Falls and Woodstock, as well as the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of the TCH between Saint-Léonard and Longs Creek. It has been expanded to include the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of the 60-kilometre stretch of the TCH between Saint-Léonard and the Quebec border, and of 14.5 kilometres of Route 95 between Woodstock and the U.S. border.
"Adding the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of the Trans-Canada Highway between the Quebec border and Saint-Léonard as well as Route 95 to the project is the most efficient and cost-effective way to carry out this work for the taxpayers of New Brunswick," the minister said.
The completion of the four-lane Trans-Canada Highway by 2007 is an action priority within the building strategic infrastructure building block in Greater Opportunity: New Brunswick's Prosperity Plan.
The project is being jointly funded by the federal and provincial governments through the Canada-New Brunswick Agreement on the Completion of the Twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway in New Brunswick.
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MEDIA CONTACTS: Mona Chiasson, TCH Project Communications, Transportation, 506-453-3091; Alain Bryar, Communications, Transportation, 506 453-2490.
04/03/26