Skip to main content

Chinese to build Dutch tunnels, bridges?

Chinese companies may play a role in the e1.5 billion A6/A9 highway project in the Netherlands.
February 21, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Patrick Smith, Eurofile Editor
Chinese companies may play a role in the €1.5 billion A6/A9 highway project in the Netherlands.
The project requires building a number of tunnels, bridges and connecting highways between Almere and the capital Amsterdam.
The 1093 Dutch Investment Bank NIBC is tendering for the project and has said that should it win, it would involve Chinese banks and contractors. The development is of note as Chinese companies are keen to compete in tenders outside the country, including for European projects.
Chinese contractors have had great success winning deals in other Asian nations and parts of Africa but apart from a few contracts in parts of Eastern Europe, such as Poland, they have not so far developed a significant share of the European Union market.
Winning projects in the Netherlands would be of key significance as the country is noted for its heavy traffic volumes, with a great deal of through traffic to and from its busy ports, as well as for its high standards of highway construction. Any Chinese road builder operating in the Netherlands would have to meet some of the highest construction quality specifications for highways of any country in the world.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • CECE 2018 conference Rome: the sector powers up for digitisation
    March 20, 2019
    Getting the human-machine interface for equipment automation right is a lot trickier than expected. David Arminas reports from the CECE conference in Rome For many contractors, digitisation is key for improving on-site operational efficiency. But it may be time to take stock of progress and examine what does and doesn’t work. That is not to say that the anchors should be thrown out to halt development. Far from it. In the past eight months, the CECE - Committee for European Construction Equipment – led
  • Turkey’s new Marmara Highway project
    June 8, 2017
    By the end of 2018, a shiny new strip of asphalt will skirt around Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, providing a new transport connection.
  • Chinese manufacturers LiuGong and XCMG in Europe
    October 16, 2012
    Both LiuGong and XCMG are increasing their manufacturing operations, with a focus on Europe - Guy Woodford reports The near 4,000m² site is situated about 35km from Amsterdam and is said to have convenient access to European cities via air, sea and highway. The European headquarters will serve as the Chinese firm’s sales hub, technical support base and spare parts distribution centre for existing and potential customers. “This new office will strengthen our presence as a top construction equipment manufactu
  • Major road projects for West Africa
    July 6, 2012
    Two major road projects will help connectivity in West African nations. In Cameroon, a loan from China Eximbank will help fund a key expressway project. Meanwhile in Côte d'Ivoire, a new highway will provide a new link to a major port. The US$466 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank) will be used to upgrade the expressway linking Cameroon’s two major cities, Douala and Yaounde. Meanwhile Bouygues Travaux Publics is to build a 6.4km stretch of highway in Côte d'Ivoire, in a contr