VINCI - 2005 annual report

Civil engineering
revenue
+11.2 %
Sioule Viaduct
On the construction site of the Sioule viaduct,
the longest engineering structure on the
A89 motorway, which lay within the
Auvergne volcano park and a Type 1
“ZNIEFF” nature reserve, the environment
was a priority. Among other measures,
an environmental protection plan was introduced,
the area covered by the worksite was
limited in scope, the river was fully protected
from pollution and the site was restored to its
initial condition. The structure was opened to
traffi c in early 2006.
Civil engineering
CONSTRUCTION / ACTIVITY
VINCI Construction’s overall
civil engineering revenue
rose 11.2% in 2005 to €4.3 million. The continuation and launch of major
infrastructure projects helped bolster business activity on the Group’s
various markets.
ROAD AND RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE. Roadworks activity was more
particularly focused, in France, on Cofi route motorway sections currently
under construction (A85, A28, Angers bypass on the A11); in the United
Kingdom on the Baldock bypass; in Equatorial Guinea on the Bassacato-Luba
embankment; in Chad on the 140 km Bisney-Ngoura-Bokoro highway;
and in Kenya on the 96 km Mai-Mahiu-Naivasha-Lanet artery. Signifi cant
orders were booked: the A19 and A89 motorways in France, the Tamarins
highway on Reunion Island, the Sakoinse-Bobodioulasso highway in Burkina
Faso and a 112 km highway in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
These should help maintain business activity at a satisfactory level in 2006.
In addition, earthmoving and standard engineering structure work
continued along the route of the LGV Est, the largest railway project currently
under way in Europe.
BRIDGES. In France, the Group completed construction of the 990 metre
long Sioule viaduct on the A89 motorway in south-central France and
continued work on the 900 metre Monestier viaduct on the A51 in southeastern
France. Business was very brisk in the Czech Republic, where SMP is building
a segmental bridge in Karlovy Vary, a cable-stayed bridge in Nymburk and,
in synergy with Eurovia’s Czech subsidiary, a 600 metre long bridge across
the Elbe north of Prague as well as three major bridges over the D8 motorway.
In Hungary, Hídépítö is building the bridge over the Danube on the
M8 motorway at Dunaujvaros, which has a 320 metre central metal span,
and a 1,800 metre viaduct on the M7 motorway for which the prestressing
is being provided by Freyssinet. Signifi cant projects on which Freyssinet also
worked include the Kanne bridge in Belgium, the fi rst industrial application
of the Cohestrand cable strand (see opposite), the Bai Chay bridge in Vietnam,
where the company installed 112 cable stays, and the Plock bridge, Poland’s
largest cable-stayed bridge. In Chile, last but not least, VINCI Construction
Grands Projets began studies for the 2,634 metre Chiloé suspension bridge,
which will be the longest of its kind in Latin America.
TUNNELS. Drawing on its expertise and engineering capabilities, which are
key strengths in a diffi cult-to-penetrate world market, VINCI Construction won
new contracts for metro systems in Athens, Greece, Algiers, Algeria and Budapest,
Hungary. Meanwhile, work continued on a large number of projects in mainland
France – the A86 West motorway tunnel in the Paris region, the Lioran road tunnel
in south-central France, the Toulouse and Marseilles metro systems, and in Europe
– the Mitholz railway tunnel in Switzerland and the Soumagne railway tunnel
in Belgium, as well as the Terminal 5 tunnel at Heathrow in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, SMP worked on the fi rst tunnels for the Prague
metro and in Sweden work on the 5.5 km long Hallandsås railway tunnels got
under way.
95