PB pleased with New Tyne Crossing

Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) has welcomed the formal opening of the US$404 million (£260 million) New Tyne Crossing by Her Majesty The Queen. The company supported the project from initial bidding through to completion, providing extensive design, engineering and environmental services throughout. The Crossing is a strategically important transport project in the UK’s north east region, which provided a second vehicle tunnel beneath the River Tyne in Newcastle, along with the renovation of an existing road tunnel. Since the project was completed, the resulting two lane traffic flow in both directions has already relieved considerable congestion on the A19 corridor between north and south Tyneside.

The project was delivered by Concessionaire TT2, a consortium comprising Bouygues, HSBC and HBOS Bank of Scotland, under its contract to finance, build and operate the new and refurbished tunnels for a 30-year period. Construction was by design-build contractor Bouygues Travaux Publics. After the 30-year concession period, responsibility for the tunnels and infrastructure will be handed back to the project sponsor, Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Association (TWITA).

Through its role as part of an integrated design team working for Bouygues Travaux Publics, PB provided a range of services, including: management and delivery of all critical approvals; environmental planning and mitigation; design of deep cut and cover tunnel sections; utilities infrastructure works; design of new operational facilities; and refurbishment of the existing tunnel. Commenting on the company’s involvement, PB’s project director, Paul Littlefair, said, “Our team is proud to have been instrumental in delivering such a strategically important transport scheme. It has brought so many benefits to the local economy during construction and will provide so many more benefits to the population and businesses across the region. We have been determined to deliver this high impact project sympathetically, working closely with a wide range of stakeholders and the communities directly affected. We successfully secured, on time, all the consents necessary to satisfy the complex planning framework and mitigate the environmental impacts and social considerations.”

3 August 2012