Three bidders unveiled for £185m Tyne Crossing

Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority has announced its three shortlisted bidders for the £185m New Tyne Crossing contract in Newcastle.

The three consortia are: Bouygues Travaux Publics SA, HBOS and HSBC; Connect North East (Balfour Beatty/Volker Stein Construction Europe); and T4 (Edmund Nuttall/Mowlem and Vinci).

A fourth Tyneside Link consortium made up of John Laing, Hochtief, Laing O’Rourke and Interoll withdrew from the bidding in December.

Bidders will be required to submit their initial tenders by 4 August with the procurement process expected to take 18 months before construction starts.

Work includes the construction of an immersed tube tunnel between East Howdon and Jarrow.

The three-and-a-half-year contract is expected to be completed in time for an opening date of late 2010