Carillion, Balfour among five shortlisted for Olympics deal

A shortlist of contractors was announced today to build the rowing and canoeing centre for the London 2012 Games. 

Morrison, Carillion, Edmund Nuttall, Norwest Holst and Balfour Beatty are in the running to build the venue at the Eton College Rowing Centre at Dorney Lake in Windsor, Berkshire. 

The 450-acre parkland site currently consists of a 2,200-metre, 8-lane rowing lake, warm-up lakes, and associated competition facilities. 

Improvements will include installation of a new 50-metre span bridge over a widened entrance to the warm-up lake, construction of a cut-through between the competition rowing lake and the warm-up lakes, with a new bridge over the cut-through and an upgrade of the main access road. 

Olympic Delivery Authority chief executive David Higgins said: “Eton Dorney is a first-class venue and the enhancements we are delivering will create the best possible facilities for the world’s best athletes to use in 2012. Securing a selection of leading contractors is an important step towards delivering these essential works.”