The ViA6West consortium—made up of HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions, DIF Infrastructure IV and JOHANN BUNTE Bauunternehmung—has won a major contract in the area of federal highway construction. The consortium has been awarded the contract to plan, finance, build, operate and maintain the A6 federal highway extension between the Wiesloch/Rauenberg intersection and the Weinsberg interchange in Baden-Württemberg. The partners will widen the section over a distance of 25.5 kilometers to six lanes with no interruption to traffic and will refurbish the 1.3-kilometer Neckartal Bridge between Heilbronn/Untereisesheim and Neckarsulm. The project also entails the operation and maintenance of the A6 over a total distance of 47.2 kilometers, some sections of which have already have been expanded.
The project volume amounts to around EUR 1,3 billion. Construction accounts for around EUR 600 million of this total. HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions has a 30 percent share in the ViA6West project company; DIF and JOHANN BUNTE Bauunternehmung hold 50 percent and 20 percent respectively. The construction work—due to start at the beginning of 2017 with completion in summer 2022—will be handled by a joint venture between HOCHTIEF Infrastructure and JOHANN BUNTE Bauunternehmung. After completion ViA6West will operate and maintain the full section of highway until 2046.
“We are delighted that the federal government is entering into another public-private partnership with us in the area of federal highways”, says Marcelino Fernández Verdes, CEO of HOCHTIEF Aktiengesellschaft.
The A6 is being implemented as an availability model. This means that the operator’s remuneration depends on the extent to which the expanded section is available to car and truck drivers. Quality aspects also play a role in the remuneration.
Financial Close is expected in December 2016.