Skip to main content

Canada: National Bank and Axium refinance Sea-to-Sky Highway

National Bank Financial and Axium Infrastructure have refinanced the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project in the Canadian province of British Columbia. A statement from Axium said that the US$427 million 25-year public-private-partnership had “strong investor support and an A2 rating from Moody’s”. The Sea-to-Sky Highway Investment Limited Partnership - Axium Infrastructure, Régime de Rentes du Mouvement Desjardins and Nova Scotia Pension Agency - is the consortium in charge of the concession. In
July 19, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
National Bank Financial and Axium Infrastructure have refinanced the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

A statement from Axium said that the US$427 million 25-year public-private-partnership had “strong investor support and an A2 rating from Moody’s”.

The Sea-to-Sky Highway Investment Limited Partnership - Axium Infrastructure, Régime de Rentes du Mouvement Desjardins and Nova Scotia Pension Agency - is the consortium in charge of the concession.

In 2010 the Axium consortium acquired 100% of the original 25-year design-build-finance-operate concession contract of the project from the concession holders, 2378 Macquarie Essential Assets Partnership, MEAP). The province retains ownership of the highway.

The Sea-to-Sky Highway is part of Highway 99 from West Vancouver to Whistler, site of the Winter Olympic Games in February 2010. But it was in 2005 that the provincial ministry of transportation began road upgrades under the Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement Project.

Major improvements were completed in late 2009 that saw the road go from a winding two-lane mountain road to a smoother often four-lane highway. Work included upgrading 95km of the road, constructing 48 bridges and interchanges and more than 200 retaining walls.

Apart from Macquarie Group, which was the project manager, other original concession partners were Peter Kiewit Sons as design-builder, Hatch 2579 Mott MacDonald for engineering work and design, JJM Construction, ND Lea, McElhanney Engineering Services, Miller Paving and Capilano Highway Services. The concession holder invested around $400m in its contract to design, build, finance and operate a highway in its 25-year performance-based contract.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Vancouver eyes bridge, tunnel options
    September 25, 2020
    The Burrard Inlet Rapid Transit Study has listed five potential crossings.
  • Mott MacDonald Sweco JV to design part of A96 dualling, Scotland
    June 16, 2016
    A Mott MacDonald and Sweco joint venture has been appointed by Transport Scotland to carry out route option assessment and detailed design work for dualling of the A96 highway between Hardmuir and Fochabers. The nearly 47km stretch of the road will provide users with improved journey times between two of Scotland’s economic hubs, the cities of Inverness and Aberdeen. In 2011, the Scottish Government published its Infrastructure Investment Plan which set out the Government’s plans for infrastructure i
  • Lafarge picks up Vancouver runway deal
    January 24, 2025
    Lafarge Canada will be a subcontractor to Kiewit and in charge of asphalt paving for Vancouver International’s North Runway project.
  • British Colombia in Canada plans major road investment
    March 20, 2015
    In Canada the British Colombia Government has announced a programme of road and highway upgrades worth a total of US$1.99 billion (C$2.5 billion). The investment will be used to rehabilitate side roads, highways and bridges across the province. This plan will include repaving some 1,000km/year of provincial highway, with this plan stretching out over a period of 10 years. A key portion of the work will be to widen Highway 1 section to six lanes between Abbotsford and Langley. The proposed plan has been titl