Three teams shortlisted for Highway 427 P3 project in Ontario
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Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) have shortlisted three teams to submit proposals to design, build, finance and maintain the Highway 427 expansion PPP project.
This announcement comes after we reported, in early July, that IO launched a request for qualification (RFQ) for the project. After that, a total of six teams submitted qualification documents.
The three highest scoring teams have been shortlisted. The consortia that have to submit proposals for the project are the following:
- Blackbird Infrastructure Group: Cintra, CRH, Ferrovial Agroman, Dufferin, AIA Engineers, and Urban Systems Ltd.
- Link 427: ACS, Miller, Dragados, Miller Construction, BOT, and MMM Group.
These teams will be invited to respond to a request for proposals (RFP) that is expected to be launched in early 2016.
The Highway 427 Expansion project is approximately 10.6 kilometres in length and is located within the western part of the City of Vaughan in the Region of York and consists of: the extension of Highway 427 by 6.6 kilometres from Highway 7 northerly to Major Mackenzie Drive, and the widening of the existing Highway 427 to 8 lanes extending 4 kilometers along Highway 427 from approximately 1.5 km south of Albion Road northerly to Highway 7.
The project is being delivered under Infrastructure Ontario's Alternative Financing and Procurement model, which transfers risks associated with design, construction, financing and maintenance of the project to the private sector.
The total project investment is estimated at CAD$500 million (US$374 million).
Highway 427 connects the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) and Gardiner Expressway with York Regional Road 7 (Highway 7) via Highway 401. It is Ontario's second busiest freeway by volume and third busiest in North America with an average of 300,000 vehicles that use it between the QEW and Highway 401 per day. A portion of the route is divided into a collector-express system with twelve to fourteen continuous lanes.
The project is part of the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario'shistory. The province's 10-year, CAD$134 billion commitment is supported by a number of initiatives, including unlocking the value of public assets to help support investments in transit, transportation and other priority infrastructure projects.
Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation, stated:
"Expanding Highway 427 will create jobs, strengthen the economy and help ease congestion and keep traffic flowing safely and efficiently. This new expansion project is proof of our commitment to making the daily commute and quality of life better for all Ontario families."
Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, commented:
"Investing in our infrastructure is key to moving goods and services, attracting new investment to the province and driving job growth. Projects such as the expansion of Highway 427 help ensure Ontario keeps moving today and remains competitive for tomorrow."
Bert Clark, President and CEO, Infrastructure Ontario, added:
"Infrastructure Ontario is proud to play an important role in delivering the highway expansion project. With this announcement, we are a step closer to selecting the winning team that will deliver this project."
