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

  • Vinci picks up Lafonataine Tunnel work
    August 12, 2020
    The renovated tunnel is expected to have about 40 years of life.
  • TRL’s Canadian growth
    May 15, 2012
    TRL has seen significant growth in its software sales and consultant services to the Canadian market over the past 12 months. In order to continue its support to this important growth area it has joined the Transport Association of Canada (TAC) with members of TRL’s traffic and software team supporting its participation by attending the TAC Annual Conference and Exhibition in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in late September. Gavin Jackman, TRL’s Head of Traffic and Software said: “During the last 12 months we have
  • Mott Macdonald supervising sections for Poland’s A1 highway
    August 20, 2015
    Mott MacDonald has won the contract to supervise construction of Poland’s A1 highway. The company supervise work for two sections of the A1 highway, a project being co-financed by the country’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways and the European Union (EU). The construction of the A1 highway is due to for completion in early 2019. The project is intended to tackle congestion in the city of Czestochowa. It will diverting traffic from the city centre onto the newly constructed 25km highway.
  • BAM, PGGM and Habau win German A10-A24 contract
    December 20, 2017
    A consortium of BAM-PGGM and HABAU has been appointed preferred bidder for extension of Germany’s A10-A24 motorway from Neuruppin to Pankow, near Brandenburg. The public-private partnership deal covering nearly 65km is worth around €1 billion over the 30 years of the contract, according to infrastructure project management company DEGES.