Winnipeg, MB - The City of Winnipeg today released the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Capital Integration Project, which combines Stage 2 of the Southwest Transitway and the widening of the Pembina Highway Underpass.
The RFQ will close on November 21, 2014, and is designed to identify consortiums interested in bidding on the Capital Integration Project and to review their qualifications. Prospective proponents will have roughly ten weeks to respond to the RFQ.
“The release of the RFQ marks a significant milestone for the Capital Integration Project. When completed, Stage 2 of the Southwest Transitway will allow Winnipeg Transit to bypass heavy traffic volumes on Pembina Highway, leading to greater on-time reliability, higher travel speeds, and improved service to the surrounding neighbourhoods. Its completion will be a significant step forward in building the transportation network outlined in the City’s Transportation Master Plan, and will help promote the increased densification of the City by facilitating the future development of several large-scale infill transit-oriented developments identified in OurWinnipeg - Complete Communities,” said Director of Transit Dave Wardrop.
When complete, the Capital Integration Project will be the City’s largest infrastructure project to date and will use a public-private partnership (P3) with a design-build-finance-(operate)-maintain (DBF(O)M) model.
Under this model, the private partner will develop the detail design for the project, construct it, finance it, and maintain it. This is very similar to the models used recently by the City of Winnipeg for the Disraeli Bridges Project and the Chief Peguis Trail extension.
A key component of Capital Integration Project P3 is that the private partner will maintain it over a 30-year concession period from 2019 until 2049, at which point it will be turned back over to the City in as-new condition. The operations/maintenance component will not include the operation or maintenance of Winnipeg Transit buses, which will remain the responsibility of Winnipeg Transit.
Next Steps
Once the RFQ closes on November 21, 2014, City staff will evaluate the RFQ submissions and a shortlist of three qualified proponents will be announced in early 2015. Soon after the shortlisted proponents are selected, the Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released to the shortlisted proponents. Of those three, a successful proponent will be selected and announced in early 2016.
Construction of the Capital Integration Project is expected to begin in 2016, with completion in late 2019. Following a period of testing, training and commissioning, Transit operations on the new transitway are expected to commence in April 2020.
Background Information
The Capital Integration Project is comprised of significant infrastructure components in the southwest quadrant of the city including the completion of Stage 2 of the Southwest Transitway, the addition of active transportation infrastructure, and the renewal and expansion of the Pembina Underpass. Drainage works associated with the project will also be coordinated with the Cockburn-Calrossie combined sewer relief project that is currently underway.
Integration of these infrastructure improvements will help accommodate anticipated population growth in southwest Winnipeg that is expected to lead to an estimated 50 per cent traffic increase on Pembina Highway by 2031. Once completed, the Capital Integration Project improvements, which are consistent with the Council-approved Transportation Master Plan (2011), will allow for transportation options (buses, active transportation, cars, and trucks) to operate in a more sustainable and integrated manner. These benefits will begin upon project completion and last well into the future.
By bundling Stage 2 of the Southwest Transitway, the widening of the Pembina Highway Underpass, and the associated land drainage works together under the Capital Integration Project, the City is expected to save significant costs by eliminating the need to relocate rail lines at least twice during construction. By constructing the projects at the same time, construction timelines and traffic disruption will also be minimized.
Visit City of Winnipeg - Southwest Transitway / Capital Integration Project for more information.
The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Capital Integration Project is available here.