SNC-Lavalin, the company involved in allegations with Prime Minister’s Office, is among potential contractors

The province has selected three “pre-qualified” bidding teams to participate in the “competitive selection process” to design and construct the new toll-free Pattullo Bridge.

In a release from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the three bidding teams were announced as Fraser Community Connectors, Flatiron/Dragados/Carlson Pattulo JV and Fraser Crossing Partners.

Within each team, there is the respondent, the design-build contractor and the long-span bridge design contractor.

RELATED: New Pattullo Bridge expected to open in 2023

For Fraser Community Connectors, the respondent is Kiewit Canada Development Corp., the design-build contractor is Kiewit Infrastructure BC ULC and the long-span bridge design contractor is T.Y. Lin International and Bridge Technologies, Inc.

For Flatiron/Dragados/Carlson Pattullo JV, the respondent and design-build contractor is a joint venture of Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited, Dragados Canada Inc. and Carlson Construction Group, Inc. and the long-span bridge design contractor is COWI North America, Ltd.

Among the potential contractors for Fraser Crossing Partners is SNC-Lavalin. Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc. and SNC-Lavalin Capital Inc. are the respondents. Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc. and SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc. are the design-build contractors. SNC-Lavalin Inc., Leonhardt, Andrä und Partner Beratende Ingenieure VBI AG, Hatch Corporation, EXP Services Inc. and Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc. are the long-span bridge design contractors.

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There are allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to help SNC-Lavalin avoid criminal prosecution.

The Globe and Mail reported that PMO aides leaned heavily on Wilson-Raybould to persuade the federal director of public prosecutions to negotiate a “remediation agreement” with SNC-Lavalin as a way of holding it to account for wrongdoing by some of its executives, rather than pursuing a criminal prosecution that could financially hobble the company.

SNC-Lavalin was charged in 2015 by the RCMP and openly called for a remediation agreement to avoid damaging the company, a major employer in Quebec. After lobbying by the company of government officials, including those in the PMO, the government included in its 2018 budget a Criminal Code amendment to allow such agreements to be negotiated in cases of corporate crime, as is done in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The City of Surrey also currently has two projects with SNC-Lavalin: construction services for the Highway 10 and 168th Street intersection upgrades and design assignment for arterial intersection improvements at various locations (24th Avenue at 176th Street, 32nd Avenue at 176th Street and 82nd Avenue at 156th Street).

The $1.377-billion bridge replacement project, according to the release, “will provide improvements for everyone using the bridge and create thousands of jobs and opportunities for British Columbians.” The approved budget “represents” the full cost to complete the project, including procurement, project management, construction, removal of the existing bridge and interest during construction.

It is expected to open in 2023.

The release says the new four-lane crossing will replace the existing Pattullo Bridge and “will have wider lanes and better connections to road networks on either side of the bridge, which will help traffic flow for efficiently.”

“It will provide safer connections for commuters, commercial vehicles and first responders. The new bridge also features dedicated pedestrian and cyclist lanes separated from traffic by a barrier on both sides of the bridge,” the release reads.

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena said the existing Pattullo Bridge is “nearing the end of its useful life.”

“The selection of the three teams gets us closer to breaking ground on this project that will improve safety and reliability for residents, commercial vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians,” she said in the release.

For more info on the project, visit engage.gov.bc.ca/pattullobridge.

The project, according to the release, will be funded and owned by the provincial government. It will be “delivered” on behalf of the province by the Transportation Investment Corporation (TI Corp.) which is a Crown corporation with the legislative authority to complete major transportation projects, similar to its role on the Port Mann Bridge project.

The release says the construction of the new Pattullo Bridge will be facilitated by the province’s Community Benefits Agreement, which includes job and training opportunities for people in the local area and increased participation of apprentices and workers “traditionally under-represented in the construction trades.”

With files from the Canadian Press



lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com

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