The East End Bridge

WVB East End Partners, the consortium led by construction company Vinci Concessions with Walsh Investors and Bilfinger Berger PI International Holdings, has won a $1bn contract for East End Crossing in Indiana, US.

Under the contract awarded by the Indiana Finance Authority (IFA), WVB East End Partners will finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the Ohio River Bridges Project‘s East End Crossing.

The new public-private agreement will involve the construction of a 762m-long, cable-stayed bridge across the Ohio River that will link Louisville, Kentucky to Southern Indiana, as well as a 512m-long, twin-bore tunnel on the Kentucky approach to the bridge.

The work will also include 19 additional bridges, along with associated roadway upgrades and other related infrastructure work.

The new East End Bridge, which is set to be 13 km from downtown Louisville, will connect the Gene Snyder Freeway and the Lee Hamilton Highway.

"The project is expected to be completed by autumn 2016."

It is a part of the broader Ohio River Bridges Project, one of the largest transport infrastructure improvement ventures in the US that will address traffic congestion issues and transport safety.

Scheduled to commence in summer of 2013, the project will be executed by a design-build joint venture, including Walsh Construction and Vinci Construction Grands Projects.

WVB East End Partners will be responsible for the operation, routine maintenance and rehabilitation of the bridge for a span of 35 years, and will be paid through license fees.

The project is expected to be completed by autumn 2016.

Image: The East End Bridge, part of Ohio River Bridges Project, will connect Gene Snyder Freeway to the Lee Hamilton Highway.