CG/LA Honors Outstanding Infrastructure Achievement at the 2018 Project of the Year Awards in Montreal

Awards identify groundbreaking advancements and engineering firsts at the 11th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum

Finalists and nominees reimagine regional landscapes and economic vitality with an emphasis on pioneering rail transportation

MONTREAL, March 29, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - CG/LA, the global leader in infrastructure research and consulting based in Washington, D.C., in partnership with preeminent construction management platform, Aconex, today announced the winners of the 2018 Infrastructure Project of the Year Awards at the 11^th Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum in Montreal.

On the heels of Quebec's historic $100B infrastructure spending plan, announced on March 27, the awards recognize early, mid, and active-stage projects across five categories. Systemic solutions are identified for their outstanding commitment to strategic advancement, sustainability, engineering, opportunity creation, and finance in the face of an ever-increasingly competitive global market.

Canada's high-frequency VIA Rail took home this year's award in sustainability for its pioneering work in furthering environmental responsibility, safety, and ethical development. The project is in line with the agenda put forth by Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, a representative of the left-leaning green party, Projet Montréal, and the keynote speaker at CG/LA's global forum on March 28.

The Bogotá Metro, the first elevated rail line of the Colombian capital, won first place in strategic advancement and opportunity creation. Construction on the u-shaped viaduct, commissioned for 2022 following a 70-year planning history, will provide up to 72,000 Colombian passengers with access to the city center per hour. Construction is expected to commence by the end of 2018 and will undoubtedly spur overall economic welfare and job creation in the region.

Virgin's Hyperloop One took home first place in the engineering category for the Kansas City to St. Louis Hyperloop project, a high-speed route along the I-70 corridor between the two capitals. Through a combination of low-pressure tubing and air propulsion, among other engineering coups, the revolutionary commercial project promises to compress hundred-plus mile long trips to under an hour by 2021.

The Budapest-Belgrade Railway, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, was awarded first place in the finance category. The $900B project is an important international railway spanning 200km/h between the capital cities of Serbia and Hungary and will serve as a main transport route for Chinese trade.

A complete list of the 2018 Project of the Year Awards nominees is below.

Engineering Infrastructure Project of the Year Award:

• Bogotá Metro
• Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project, Cadiz, Inc.
• Virgin Hyperloop One

Finance Infrastructure Project of the Year Award:

• Montreal Réseau Express Métroplitan (REM)
• São Paulo Municipal Lighting
• Budapest-Belgrade Railway

Opportunity Infrastructure Project of the Year Award:

• Libya Multi-Purpose Container Port and Logistics Hub, Susah
• Bogotá Metro
• SeaOne Fuel Supply

Strategic Infrastructure Project of the Year Award:

• Multi-Purpose Container Port and Logistics Hub, Susah, Libya
• Bogotá Metro
• SeaOne Fuel Supply

Sustainability Infrastructure Project of the Year Award:

• Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project, Cadiz, Inc.
• Nepal Compact Project, Millennium Challenge Corporation
• VIA Rail High-Frequency Rail Plan

ABOUT THE 11^TH GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE LEADERSHIP FORUM
Convening leaders in transportation, finance, policy, engineering, technology, construction, energy, law, and hydroelectricity from more than 20 countries across both private and public sectors, the annual Global Infrastructure Leadership Forum highlights leading-edge strategies that propel the advancement of our built environment around the world.

SOURCE CG/LA Infrastructure