ARCADIS (NASDAQ: ARCAF, EURONEXT: ARCAD), the international consultancy and engineering company, announced today that it has been selected for preparing the widening of three major highways in The Netherlands; the A12 Waterberg-Velperbroek, the A50 Valburg-Grijsoord and the A28 Zwolle-Meppel. With this expansion current traffic bottlenecks will be solved in short time. ARCADIS is responsible for the area management, the bidding procedure and project management of the contract preparations. The total construction fee for these three projects will be €220 million. The contract value for ARCADIS is €4.2 million.
The 2 by 2 tracked roads will be transformed into 2 by 3 roads with escape lanes. The expansion is part of the ZSM II infrastructure program of the Dutch government. This program is targeted to quickly expand the highway capacity. The Minister of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Karla Peijs, wants this program to be executed as quickly as possible. By simultaneously executing three projects money will also be saved.
The preparations will take one and a half years. During this period the surface will be examined for mechanical and ecological qualifications, archeological finds, non-detonated explosives and contaminations. Cables and pipes will be mapped, the current asphalt and viaducts will be investigated and the necessary permits will be arranged. The Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management will work out the proposed routes of the three tracks and take into account compensation for dust, sound and nature. The actual realization depends on the approval by the Minister of these proposed routes.
ARCADIS will also do some initial design work for the new tracks and for the viaducts. Because this year, a lot of highways are subject to large maintenance work and expansion of the capacity, great attention is given to minimize traffic impediment by tuning with other projects and sensible construction planning. This results in bidding files and the selection of contractors for the expansion programs. The construction starts early 2008 and the first cars are planned to use the expanded highways at the end of 2009.
ARCADIS is an international company providing consultancy, engineering and management services in infrastructure, environment and facilities, to enhance mobility, sustainability and quality of life. ARCADIS develops, designs, implements, maintains and operates projects for companies and governments. With more than 10,000 employees and over € 1 billion in gross revenue, the company has an extensive international network that is supported by strong local market positions.
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements in this release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the company's actual results in future periods to differ materially from forecasted results. Those risks include, among others, risks associated with possible changes in environmental legislation and risks with regard to the Company's ability to acquire and execute projects. These are other risks are described in ARCADIS' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission over the last 12 months, copies of which will be available from the SEC or may be obtained upon request from the Company.
