News

The federal state of Lower Saxony is planning to contract a consortium consisting of Bilfinger Berger Project Investments (BBPI), John Laing and Johann Bunte with the widening of a section of the A1 highway between the northern German cities of Hamburg and Bremen. The project company will assume responsibility for financing, design, expansion and operation of the 73-kilometer stretch of highway over a 30-year period. During this time, the consortium will ensure the availability of the highway in return for a portion of the truck toll generated on the route. With an investment volume of €650 million, this is the largest public private partnership project in Germany. Bilfinger Berger Project Invetments holds a 42.5% stake in the concession company, with infrastructure developer John Laing also holding 42.5% and Johann Bunte, a mid-sized general contractor, holding the remaining 15%.

The project includes the modernization and expansion of the traffic lanes and highway junctions. The company will also be responsible for all maintenance activities during the operation phase. The range of services includes constant monitoring of the route, maintenance of the driving surface, bridges, noise protection installations and rest stations as well as landscaping and winter service.

The A1 in Lower Saxony is the third project in Germany being built as a so-called A-Model, whereby the private sector takes over the expansion and long-term operation of a stretch of highway. At the end of the concession period the section is returned to the state in a condition laid out in the contract.

The value of BBPI's concessions portfolio is growing steadily. It already includes roads and highways in Canada, Norway, Hungary and Northern Ireland with a total investment volume of over €2.1 billion along with schools, hospitals, correctional facilities and public administration buildings with a volume of €1.4 billion.