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.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Boom in Asian infrastructure investment
    February 8, 2012
    Investment in China and India continues unabated, but other nations on the continent are eager to attract companies as Patrick Smith reports Asia is still booming despite the current economic crisis, and new infrastructure programmes are constantly coming on stream. Powerhouses China and India, with their double-digit growth figures and huge infrastructure plans (in scope and cost), are leading the way and are still magnets for businesses wishing to expand, both in terms of facilities and customers. But oth
    Read More
  • A new tunnel project for Turkey is a significant move
    December 12, 2012
    The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is supplying a finance package worth US$150 million for the new Bosphorus crossing project in Turkey. Running under the Bosphorus at Istanbul, the new tunnel will connect both European and Asian sides of the city. The EBRD’s $150 million loan completes $1.4 billion worth of financing required for the Eurasia Tunnel project, being built under the Bosphorus straits. Other components of the $1.4 billion financing package for this PPP project include a
    Read More
  • Latin America invests in infrastructure growth
    February 15, 2012
    Travelling in one of the world's most diverse regions is not always easy, but spectacular engineering feats will make life easier as Patrick Smith reports. Five years ago a report from the World Bank noted that infrastructure in most of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) had improved over the previous ten years.
    Read More
  • Funding problems for major Polish highway project
    May 9, 2012
    The long tale of woe concerning Poland’s troubled A2 highway project looks set to continue with the latest developments in the case. The Chinese contractor China Overseas Engineering Group Co (Covec) is appealing against a decision made by the Polish national road authority GDDKiA. The Polish authorities cancelled the contract that COVEC had previously been awarded to build a section of the A2 highway between Warsaw and Lodz.
    Read More

Highlighted Content