A9 Gaasperdammerweg

Fluor is a partner in IXAS Zuid-Oost selected by the Dutch Government to deliver the A9 Gaasperdammerweg public-private-partnership (PPP) project. The A9 project is an upgrade and expansion of the existing A9 highway between junctions of Holendrecht and Diemen (in Amsterdam, the Netherlands). The project location is situated in a densely populated area with many external stakeholders and interfaces. Fluor is self-performing its share of the project. Modular construction was used for the civil structures, and temporary bridges, but also, modular testing is applied for the tunnel technical equipment.

The main contract is a PPP/DBFM contract, wherein it is required to setup an SPC (Special Purpose Company) responsible for the financing and main contract management. The SPC consists of Fluor, Ballast Nedam, Heijmans and 3i, each with an equal share. Furthermore, an EPCM-Co (engineering, procurement, construction and maintenance company) has been setup by Ballast Nedam, Fluor and Heijmans.

This EPCM company is responsible to fully execute and maintain the project. The project has a total nominal value of approximately $945 million (€700 million), including a 20-year management and maintenance period after the new infrastructure becomes available.

Client's Challenge

The A9 project is the third of five projects in the Schiphol – Amsterdam - Almere (SAA) corridor. This corridor is located in an economically important area that should be easily accessible. The objective of the SAA programme is to improve the traffic flow by expanding the road capacity in order to safeguard good accessibility of the region in the future and to improve the quality of life in the surrounding area. Maintaining the traffic flow during construction is a key challenge. The project consists of all the work to be performed in connection with the reconstruction and expansion of the A9 highway between the junctions of Holendrecht and Diemen in the region of Amsterdam, including the bridge over the river Gaasp, the road surface on the A9 Gaasperdammerweg and the construction of an approximately three-kilometer cut-and-cover tunnel.

The main challenges are:

Construction in a sensitive environment on and around an intensively used infrastructure;
Ensuring traffic flow across the entire corridor;
Minimizing traffic disruption during construction phase;
Managing the interfaces between the various projects as well as the interfaces with the adjacent main road network and the environment;
Managing the logistics of the transition from the existing to the new infrastructure;
Designing and implementing technical solutions.

Fluor's Solution

During the bid phase Fluor provided the PPP/DBFM project experience which was needed to win the project. The Project was awarded with use of MEAT criteria (most economically advantageous tender). Therefore the Client did not only award the project based on pricing, but also on the quality of the bid. IXAS Zuid-Oost was rated best on both price and MEAT criteria.

IXAS has provided a solution with a short construction phase with minimal environmental nuisance, while maintaining optimal traffic flow.

Key roles in the SPC and the EPCM-Co are staffed by Fluor (e.g. the EPCM project director, the EPCM Business manager, the SPC contract manager and the SPC assurance manager). Much effort is put in maintaining good relations with the Client, stakeholders and local residents.

The IXAS management system is based on the ISO15288 and involves all primary and business processes needed to successfully manage a project of this magnitude (e.g. model based systems engineering, quality management, interface management, lifecycle asset management, stakeholder management, etc.). IXAS has obtained certificates for the ISO9001, VCA**, BTR, SPIC and its organizational maturity levels are externally audited with use of the ISO15504 standard. Fluor was also responsible for building the project's work roads, logistics center, and site offices.

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Conclusion

There were approximately 150 construction workers on the site during peak construction. Workers achieved 710,000 safe work hours on this project. Fluor's Greenville and Amsterdam offices are integral to this project's success. To date, the project is on schedule, within budget, and holds excellent safety and quality records.