Starting in Kirkeness in the north of Norway and ending more than 3000 km south in Trelleborg, Sweden, the E6 motorway is the gateway to southern Europe for sun craving Scandinavians in the summer.

The 25 km new motorway expansion that a consortium led by FCC CONSTRUCCION S.A is to deliver will cost 2,6 bn NOK and include two tunnels and multiple bridges and is expected to be finalised in 2023.

Innovative procurement process

The client Nye Veier has since its inception in 2015 been responsible for the expansion and operation of several motorways and Norway is currently experiencing a motorway bonanza. Between today and 2030 close to 500km motorways are expected to be built, doubling the length of the existing network. Over the next couple of years, Nye Veier will be busy procuring many kilometers of motorway and to facilitate the process they have introduced an innovative model for conducting their tenders. Central for the procurement process is early involvement of the main contractor and many interactions between client and suppliers including personal interviews with key delivery staff.

Strong international interest

Many non-Norwegian contractors have been attracted to the booming Norwegian market; on average there are seven non-Norwegian applicants for each tender. But their success rate has not been high. FCC has been present on the Norwegian market for a couple of years but the E6 Ulsberg project is their first major road win. The winning consortium is an example of local and global collaboration and consists of the local contractor Johs. J. Syltern, FCC from Spain and Ramboll.

'The combination of a Norwegian and Spanish contractor paired with Ramboll's knowledge of the local geography and our global tunnel and bridge expertise proved to be a recipe for a winning team,' says Terje Dengerud, MD for Ramboll Transport, Norway.

One of the winning elements in the bid was the common BIM model that all parties can access which facilitates collaboration, and stakeholder engagement and ultimately speeds up the delivery process. Nye Veier has ambitious sustainability targets and the requirement is for the project to receive a Ceequal assessment rating of very good. There is also a strong focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions during the construction phase and the consortium will use a number of digital tools to manage the CO2 emissions in the delivery period.

Project of great importance

The expansion of the new road north of Ulsberg is east of the current E6 route and is primarily going to be built as a four-lane highway around Berkak. The project includes two tunnels (1.3 kilometers and 2 kilometers), as well as several bridges and concrete structures. The expansion will have a major impact on accessibility and traffic safety as the new motorway will replace an E6 section with low standard and high accident risk.

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