Preparations for the Hailuoto Causeway have taken another step forward. In the project implemented under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, Capex Advisors Oy and Hannes Snellman Attorneys Ltd were selected as financing and legal services advisors for the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. Sweco PM Oy will act as a technical advisor in the project. The selected advisors will assist in planning and carrying out the tendering process to select a service provider for the PPP project and in the related negotiations with tendering consortiums.
International interest in the project
The Hailuoto Causeway project comprises the construction of a road running on top of an embankment and two bridges between the mainland and the island of Hailuoto. The PPP service provider to be selected via a tendering process will be responsible for the planning, construction, financing and maintenance of the causeway during the contract period. The project has already aroused interest on an international level.
Tendering phase planned to start in the autumn
The Finnish Parliament has authorised a maximum cost to the state of EUR 116.9 million for the project that covers all costs incurring from the project to the client. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency estimates that the tendering phase will take about 10 to 12 months from publishing the contract notice to signing the contract agreement. It is estimated that the construction phase will take three years. The tendering phase will begin as soon as there is sufficient certainty regarding the permits required for the project, which will be late summer 2019 at the earliest.
Hailuoto Causeway
The plan is to build a causeway between Riutunkari in Oulu on the mainland and Huikku on the island of Hailuoto. This will replace the current ferry service. The total length of the road connection will be about 8.4 km, which comprises the long Huikku and Riuttu bridges and a road section on an embankment. A fixed connection will improve the national and regional accessibility of Hailuoto. The causeway will enable more fluent transport connections for passenger and goods transport to and from Hailuoto, which in turn will promote the viability of local businesses and extend the range of commuting to work for the inhabitants of Hailuoto.
(Source: Vayla)
