A request for qualifications (RFQ) has been issued for the highway twinning project aimed at increasing safety along sections of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The RFQ invites interested parties to submit their qualifications for the twinning project. Successful candidates will then be invited to participate in the next stage of the competitive selection process, which is the request for proposals (RFP) stage. At the RFP stage, the Provincial Government will be looking to enter an agreement with a qualified proponent to design, construct, finance and maintain the two sections of the Trans-Canada Highway, with snow clearing and line painting operations remaining with public service employees.
The closing date for RFQ proposals is February 6, 2025.
Announced in May 2023, the jointly funded federal-provincial highway twinning project includes a 15-kilometre section between Bishop’s Falls and Grand Falls-Windsor in the Central region, as well as a section on the Avalon Peninsula of approximately 40 kilometres beginning at Whitbourne and heading west. Since the original announcement, the province has added an additional 20 kilometres to the section of highway designated for twinning on the Avalon.
Twinning these sections of the Trans-Canada Highway will help increase traffic capacity and ensure better separation between opposing traffic lanes. These improvements will also support reliability and security of access between rural communities, strengthen year-round transportation connections, improve transportation safety and enhance the Trans-Canada Highway’s resilience to climate change.
In September, contracts were awarded to two companies for brush clearing for the highway twinning project. Arbotech Management Inc. was awarded a contract for $1.24 million for the clearing of the TCH from Whitbourne to Chance Cove, and a second contract for $486,800 for clearing of the TCH between Route 350 and Grand Falls-Windsor. Farrell’s Excavating Ltd. was awarded a contract for $1.25 million for the clearing of the section of the TCH between Chance Cove and Sunnyside. The contracts involve the clearing of the existing right-of-way on both sides of the highway, as well as additional widening for the new divided highway.
Information on tenders issued and awarded by the department and other public bodies is available by visiting www.merx.com/govnl.
Quote
“Projects like the highway twinning initiative are an important element of our continued efforts regarding the modernization of our provincial roads infrastructure. It is also significant from a traffic safety perspective and will help ensure our rural and urban communities are connected to service centres that provide health care and other government-related supports, while also making our roads more resilient in response to a changing climate.”
Honourable Fred Hutton
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Minister of Rural Economic Development
-30-