NB 469
April 21, 2004
FREDERICTON (CNB) - A request for proposals (RFP) has been issued to the four consortia that have shown interest in the project to complete the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) in the province, Transportation Minister Paul Robichaud announced today.
"The RFP is an extremely complex document that spells out legal, operational, environmental, engineering, quality management and a wide variety of other specifications related to road building, maintenance and rehabilitation, and upgrading existing sections of highway," Robichaud said.
The selected proponent will design, build and finance a 100-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway between Grand Falls and Woodstock. This will effectively complete the twinning of the TCH in the province.
The selected proponent will also operate, maintain and rehabilitate the Trans-Canada Highway between the Quebec border and Longs Creek, and Route 95 between Woodstock and the U.S. border.
"We plan to select an operator-developer in order to meet our schedule to have the TCH open to traffic in late 2007," Robichaud said.
The completion of the four-lane Trans-Canada Highway in 2007 is an action priority within the building strategic infrastructure building block in Greater Opportunity: New Brunswick's Prosperity Plan.
The project is 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.
The four consortia that were invited to submit proposals for the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway following a qualification process are Brun-Way Group Joint Venture, Upper Valley Highway Consortium, Saint John Valley Highway Group, and River Valley Road Development Company.
A copy of an executive summary of the RFP document is available on the Department of Transportation website at: http://www.gnb.ca/0113/.
For any further information concerning the project, the designated contact is Project Manager Fred Blaney.
04/04/21
MEDIA CONTACTS: Mona Chiasson, TCH Project communications, Transportation, 506-453-3091; Alain Bryar, communications, Transportation, 506-453-5634.
04/04/21