Consortium wins US$648 million highway project

I-77 Mobility Partners, a consortium led by 5428 Cintra Infraestructuras, a subsidiary of 4419 Ferrovial, has finalised a US$648 million contract with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The group will design and construct 26 miles of toll lanes on Interstate 77 in North Carolina.

The project will help resolve the region’s current and future congestion problems with express lanes on 26 miles of I-77, which currently has one high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction. The project will convert those HOV lanes to express lanes and a second express lane will be built alongside.

The concession will last for 50 years, starting from the date it opens to traffic, which is scheduled for 2018.

Cintra will develop this project, while the design and construction will be undertaken by a joint venture comprising Ferrovial Agroman and US construction company W.C. English. The design includes widening 26 miles of highway in both directions on the I-77 in the northern part of the Charlotte metropolitan area, between connections with the I-277 in Charlotte and the NC-150 in Iredell County.

The project is divided into three section, and the existing road will be rebuilt, increasing its capacity by creating managed lanes (with variable electronic tolls) to improve traffic flow. This is Cintra’s fourth managed lanes project in the US.