Pöyry, Ramboll and Skanska to implement improvement of Highway 6 between Taavetti and Lappeenranta

PÖYRY PLC                         Press release, 21 September 2015 at 10am (EEST)

Pöyry, Ramboll and Skanska to implement improvement of Highway 6 between Taavetti and Lappeenranta

The Finnish Transport Agency has signed an agreement with a consortium formed by Skanska Infra, Pöyry and Ramboll on the execution phase of the alliance-based project related to Highway 6 between Taavetti and Lappeenranta. The same consortium also executed the project development phase, which was launched in March 2015.

An alliance-based approach is a method of executing a design and construction project, where the customer and the main providers are responsible for project design and construction, share the risks and opportunities as agreed by the parties, and form a joint organisation.

In the project, Highway 6 will be upgraded, mainly in its existing location, to a four-lane highway with a central barrier. The assignment covers a 28 km route including 12 km of new road. The improvement will make for better and safer traffic flow. Environmental harm will be mitigated using acoustic screening and ground water protection.

Highway 6 is the main traffic connection in South Karelia. It serves local and long-distance traffic and is a key route for industrial raw material and harbour transport.

The total value of the project is €76 million. In the development phase, the customer, designer and contractor cooperated to develop and modify project solutions so that the project cost estimate and quality goals will be met. The project will be completed segment by segment in 2017 and 2018.

"With excellent cooperation between all project parties and the innovations created through the alliance approach, we have met the development phase goals and can now launch the project execution phase", says project manager Harri Liikanen. The project is the Finnish Transport Agency's first ordinary road construction project implemented using this alliance approach. "Based on the development phase, the approach is also highly suitable for a project like this."

"Together, we have successfully progressed on the project design as planned. In the development phase, we found solutions for gradually introducing the highway sooner than originally scheduled. This also significantly decreases any inconveniences caused to road users", says Janne Tikkamäki, construction manager at Skanska.

"The development phase was successfully implemented in six months because the designers were selected prior to selecting the contractor. When Skanska joined in, the initial design data model, preliminary studies and the initial reviews on previously identified alternatives had already been extensively addressed. Pöyry will also continue to design the project execution phase for the best of the project", says Mikko Inkala, Pöyry's President of Infrastructure Design in Finland.

"Finland has about 78,000 km of public roads that are vital for our daily traffic and the competitiveness of the business sector. Digitalisation is a strong element of the road design, too. This project, for example, develops data modelling with road maintenance in mind. This means that the benefits do not only cover the design or construction phase, or even are restricted to this project alone", says Peter Molin, Director, Infrastructure and Transport, at Ramboll.

The value of the order is not disclosed. The order will be recognised within the Regional Operations order stock in Q4/2014.

Additional information by:

Mikko Inkala
Director, Infrastructure Design, Regional Operations, North Europe
Tel: +358 1033 21112

Pasi Tolppanen
Director, Regional Operations, North Europe
Managing Director, Pöyry Finland
Tel: +358 1033 26656

Pöyry is an international consulting and engineering company. We serve clients globally across the energy and industrial sectors and provide local services in our core markets. We deliver management consulting and engineering services, underpinned by strong project implementation capability and expertise. Our focus sectors are power generation, transmission & distribution, forest industry, chemicals & biorefining, mining & metals, transportation and water. Pöyry has an extensive local office network employing about 6,000 experts. Pöyry's net sales in 2014 were EUR 571 million and the company's shares are quoted on Nasdaq OMX Helsinki (Pöyry PLC: POY1V).