Gulf Construction Online - Aecom-Jacobs JV lands $6bn Amtrak tunnel job

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Aecom-Jacobs JV lands $6bn Amtrak tunnel job

11-04-2024

US national railroad passenger company Amtrak has awarded its first-ever 'Delivery Partner' contract for its $6 billion Frederick Douglass Tunnel Programme, to Advance, a joint venture between US infrastructure firms Aecom and Jacobs.

Amtrak’s single largest capital project, the $6-billion Tunnel in Baltimore is part of a programme to modernise and transform a 10-mile section of the Northeast Corridor, unlocking the biggest rail bottleneck between Washington, DC and New Jersey, said the company in a statement.

The awarding of the Delivery Partner contract, an innovative construction management approach, come following a competitive procurement process that began in early 2023.

As per the deal, Advance's scope of work will include design oversight, construction management, contract management and other administrative support.

In February, Amtrak had picked a Kiewit-Shea JV to build the actual tunnel. Construction work on Amtrak’s largest capital project will begin later this year, including at its utility relocations.

It will also start work on building the first of five bridges.

The contract falls under a delivery partner model, a collaborative arrangement between a client, such as Amtrak, and a private partner, in this case the Advance joint venture team, to manage and deliver a large-scale construction project.

Early work on the tunnel began last year, with demolition currently underway.

In addition to Aecom and Jacobs, the Advance team also features a consortium of top construction industry firms, including Sener, Turner & Townsend, RailPros, Aldea, Dr. Sauer and 22 additional disadvantaged and small business enterprises, said the statement.

The award follows a competitive procurement process that began in early 2023, it added.