also successfully refinanced its existing bank loans amounting to €495 million, notably with the European Investment Bank.
Installation of solar panels on the roof of the Ohio River Bridge operations centre will cover 110% of the centre’s electricity needs. The surplus will be reinjected into the regional grid.
Programme management
— In Germany, apart from preparing for works on the B247 federal road, VINCI Highways continued with upgrading work on the A7-2, in synergy with local VINCI Construction subsidiaries, and brought into service a new 2 km section widened to three-lane dual carriageway.
— In Ireland, VINCI Highways finalised rollout of the new free-flow transaction management system on the Dublin ring road, relying on the expertise of its subsidiary TollPlus. The new toll infrastructure will support growth of traffic on the busiest artery of the national road network, which is taken every day by an average 135,000 vehicles.
— In the United States, under the third contract won some years ago in Texas, VINCI Highways brought into service a state-of-the-art back-office system for the North Texas Tollway Authority. The new system optimises free-flow toll management on the road network, while also handling parking transactions in the two main airports in the Dallas region. More than 10 million transactions were processed during the first three days after commissioning the system.
— In Colombia, VINCI Highways and its Colombian partner Constructora Conconcreto continued with a major renovation programme on the Bogotá–Girardot motorway, the country’s busiest, under a 30-year concession contract. Carried out in synergy with VINCI Construction, the works cover a total of 126 km of motorway and include construction of a third lane over 65 km and four 2 km tunnels. In 2021, works started on several sections with a cumulative length of 72 km. This infrastructure project, one of the biggest currently under way in the country, should be completed in 2025 and generate a total of 14,000 direct and indirect jobs.
— In France, under the Prado Carénage and Prado Sud tunnels concession in Marseille, VINCI Highways continued with construction of a new underground access road that will link the existing tunnel to the city’s southern and eastern districts, freeing up the surface space required for extension of a tramway line. Furthermore, VINCI Concessions and Eiffage, which each hold 33% of the concession company, signed a shareholders’ agreement with a view to filing a tender offer, once all required authorisations are granted, for the remaining shares in the capital.
— In the United Kingdom, Island Roads Services, concession operator of the Isle of Wight road network, embarked on a new phase of investment to renovate road retaining structures, under an agreement signed with the island Council. The works will be carried out by VINCI Construction and last until March 2023.
100% of the concrete from the existing section will be recycled in connection with works on the B247 road in Germany.