Skip to main content

Canada: Champlain Bridge deal awarded to SNC-Lavalin consortium

The Canadian government has awarded a multi-billion dollar contract for the Champlain Bridge in Montreal, in the province of Quebec, to a consortium led by SNC-Lavalin. The firm, based in Montreal, will design, build, maintain and operate the toll bridge under a 35-year public-private partnership deal worth between US$2.5-$4.1 billion. The consortium called Signature on the Saint-Lawrence Group includes Spanish firms Dragados Canada and ACS Infrastructures and the US firm Flatiron Construction. Other
April 17, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The Canadian government has awarded a multi-billion dollar contract for the Champlain Bridge in Montreal, in the province of Quebec, to a consortium led by SNC-Lavalin.

The firm, based in Montreal, will design, build, maintain and operate the toll bridge under a 35-year public-private partnership deal worth between US$2.5-$4.1 billion.

The consortium called Signature on the Saint-Lawrence Group includes Spanish firms 4761 Dragados Canada and 917 ACS Infrastructures and the US firm 2758 Flatiron Construction. Other members are MMM Group, T.Y. Lin International, International Bridge Technologies Canada and 981 Hochtief PPP Solutions.

The project will replace an ageing bridge, will link Montreal to the St Lawrence River's south shore and should generate 30,000 jobs. Work is expected to start this summer for completion in December 2018, according to a statement by federal infrastructure minister Denis Lebel who made the contract award in Montreal. SNC beat two other bidders for the work.

The bid requirements for the Champlain Bridge contract stipulated that no company, affiliate or member of a board of directors could have been convicted of a criminal offence in order for their consortium to qualify.

Because of this, the awarding of the deal by the Federal Bridge Authority to SNC Lavalin, is controversial. The Globe and Mail %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal newspaper reported Globe and Mail report false http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/snc-lavalin-shakes-up-senior-management-team/article23965219/ false false%> that SNC was charged in February with corruption and fraud over alleged criminal acts that occurred between 2001 and 2011 while it did business in Libya. But SNC has said the acts were committed by former employees who have since left the company and that the corporation itself should never have been charged.

The Globe also said that the SNC’s infrastructure business unit, which includes projects like hospitals, mass transit and water treatment plants, has posted losses on earnings before interest and taxes for the past two years. SNC announced this week it will replace the executive in charge of the business.

2482 SNC Lavalin will announce its first quarter result on May 7.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Montreal’s new Champlain Bridge is in a race against time
    June 8, 2018
    Montreal’s US$3.24 billion Champlain Bridge across the St Lawrence River may not be open on time, according to a report by the independent Auditor General. The 3.4km cable-stayed bridge has two decks supporting three lanes of highway traffic in each direction. A third, central deck supports a mass transit system and a multi-use path. The new bridge will replace the nearby 50-year-old Champlain Bridge which has been deteriorating at an alarming rate. The government signed a contract in 2015 with a private
  • Teams shortlisted for Pattullo Bridge replacement near Vancouver
    March 1, 2019
    The Canadian province of British Columbia has shortlisted three consortia to design and build a US$1.06 billion Pattullo Bridge replacement near Vancouver. Fraser Community Connectors is led by Kiewit Canada Development. Kiewet Infrastructure BC is the design-build contractor. The long-span bridge design contractors are T.Y. Lin International and International Bridge Technologies. A joint venture of Flatiron Constructors, Dragados Canada and Carlson Construction Pattullo includes ACS Infrastructure Ca
  • Wood you ride these? The Igorot tribe in the Philippines do
    June 22, 2015
    Wood you ride these? The Igorot tribe in the Philippines do Possibly the most eco-friendly bicycle is to be found in the Philippines, and they race them once a year, reaching speeds of nearly 40kph downhill – with no brakes. The bicycles are made entirely of wood, but the beauty is in the carving. Each cycle is a unique ornate cycle – hand-carved by its owner, a member of the Igorot tribe. The cycle race gathering is held in the town of Batad in the mountains of Luzon, the Philippines largest and m
  • International firms compete in US bridge project tenders
    May 2, 2012
    The Spanish construction firm ACS is tendering for the construction and operation of four bridges in the US. The firm is tendering in partnership with some other US and international firms for some of the projects, which are worth a total of US$11.4 billion. The Tappan Zee project is expected to cost $5 billion and the deal will be for a design and construction contract. The bridge will be located in New York, is being developed by New York State Thruway Authority and will require two, four-carriageway brid