Bidding starts for New Tyne Crossing

Letters inviting the three short-listed bidders to formally tender for the New Tyne Crossing have now been issued.
 
The short-listed bidders are:

• Bouygues Travaux Publics SA
• Connect North East, comprising Balfour Beatty Capital Projects Ltd and Volker Stein Construction Europe bv
• T4, comprising Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Mowlem plc and Vinci SA.

They have until August 7 to return their tenders, after which evaluation and negotiations will take place.

A decision on the winning bid is expected in autumn 2007. The winning consortium, known as the Concessionaire, will then be appointed to operate the existing vehicle, pedestrian and cycle tunnels and will design, construct and operate the new tunnel.

Work on building the New Tyne Crossing could begin in late 2007 and may take 3½ years to complete. The concession will operate for 30 years.

The TWPTA’s decision to press ahead with the tender has been taken with the agreement of the bidders in the knowledge of a legal challenge to the Transport Secretary’s go-ahead for the New Tyne Crossing.

The hearing of this challenge will be held in the High Court on April 5, 2006.

TWPTA deputy chairman Councillor Tom Hanson, said: “This is a significant stage in delivering the New Tyne Crossing.

“I am absolutely delighted that we are now well and truly on the road to relieving congestion on one of the region’s strategic roads, thereby removing a major barrier to wealth and job creation.

“The TWPTA and its local council partners in North and South Tyneside will continue to work closely together to ensure that the impact of construction on local communities is kept to a minimum.”

Ends

Issued on behalf of the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority by Bradley O’Mahoney Public Relations. Media contacts: Richard Simpson on 07821 537106 or Felicity Amer or Daniel O’Mahoney on 0191 281 8833.

Notes to editors:

1. On July 21 2005, the Secretary of State for Transport approved the application by the Tyne and Wear Transport Authority (TWPTA) to go ahead with the planning and construction of the New Tyne Crossing.
2. The decision was subject to any Legal Challenges in the subsequent six weeks.
3. A Legal Challenge was made in August 30 2005 by Brian Atkinson, a resident of South Tyneside.
4. Mr Atkinson was a representative of Friends of the Earth at the Public Inquiry in 2003, but has made his Legal Challenge as an individual. Friends of the Earth are not making a Legal Challenge.
5. The Legal Challenge is against the decision of the Secretary of State. This means that the Secretary of State for Transport will be the defendant when the case comes to the High Court. The Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority is cited as an interested party and will be involved in that capacity to support the defence.
6. The basis of the Legal Challenge is that the Secretary of State has ‘erred in law’ in reaching his decision. The TWPTA is not allowed, for legal reasons, to comment further until the case has been heard.
7. The High Court hearing is scheduled to take place on April 5 with a judgement expected by mid-May.
8. TWPTA is confident that the Challenge will be successfully defended and that the scheme will proceed.
9. The New Tyne Crossing was originally a Public Private Partnership with a Concessionaire appointed to finance, design and construct the new tunnel and to operate all the tunnels under the Tyne. On October 21 2005 the TWPTA agreed to consider the possibility of using prudential borrowing to cover half the cost of the scheme. This would enable tolls to be kept lower than would otherwise be the case.
10. The New Tyne Crossing will be an immersed tube tunnel between East Howdon (North Tyneside) and Jarrow (South Tyneside). It will complete the dualling of the A19 which runs from south of Cramlington, Northumberland, to North Yorkshire.