Implenia wins contract for main northern lot of the second tube of the Gotthard road tunnel

The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) today announced its decision to award the Gotthard main northern section (Lot 241) to the “secondo tubo” joint venture, which is led by Implenia (Implenia 60% / Frutiger 40%). The order for the 7.9 km long section, extending up to the lot boundary in the middle of the tunnel, is worth CHF 467 million, including VAT, with construction scheduled to take place from 2022 to 2029. There is a 20-day appeal period.

The core element of the work is 7.3 km of tunnelling, at a diameter of 12.3 m, using a tunnel boring machine (TBM) with tubbing. This connects to a 160m long stretch at the start which will be excavated conventionally. The contract also includes 430 m of conventional tunnel through the northern disturbance zone, which will be excavated from the 4 km long northern access tunnel that is currently being made. The TBM will later be pulled through this section of the disturbance zone. Its drill head will be completely revised and it will then complete the remaining tunnelling through to the lot boundary. The joint venture will also undertake a highly complex excavation for two underground ventilation centres, as well as creating an underground concrete plant and production halls for tubbing rings and service ducts in former military caverns.

FEDRO gave the following reasons for its decision: “The ‘secondo tubo’ joint venture submitted a very good offer in terms of quality and price, making it the most favourable choice. The winning offer was impressive throughout, scoring well or very well on all the award criteria. The tenderer submitted the most favourable offer, and also did better than the other candidates in terms of quality, based on the tender documents. The key personnel designated for site deployment also rated very highly.”

André Wyss, CEO Implenia, commented as follows: “The second tube of the Gotthard road tunnel will make a major contribution to improving the north-south road link in Switzerland. We are delighted to be planning and building this large and complex infrastructure project, which is an excellent fit with Implenia’s strategy. We will contribute our many years of experience and proven expertise in tunnel construction and other civil engineering disciplines to this exciting project.”

As well as its Tunnelling unit, Implenia’s Special Foundations and Civil units in Central Switzerland will also be involved in the work.