TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The City of Saskatoon’s North Commuter Parkway & Traffic Bridge Project — the largest infrastructure project ever delivered in the city — has won gold in this year’s National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships.
Presented by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) since 1998, the prestigious award will be handed out at CCPPP’s 26th annual conference – P3 2018 – on Monday, November 5 in Toronto at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.
“CCPPP and its members congratulate the team involved in the City of Saskatoon’s North Commuter Parkway & Traffic Bridge Project on winning gold for infrastructure in the 2018 National Awards for Innovation and Excellence in Public-Private Partnerships,” said Mark Romoff, president and CEO of CCPPP.
The transformative Saskatoon project is one of five winners across Canada selected for breaking new ground in how P3s are built, financed or delivered, as well as their impact on boosting the economy, saving costs, and creating more vibrant, inclusive communities. This project is one of only two gold award recipients this year. Read more
“These five projects represent the hard work and dedication of thousands of people across Canada who are making these critically important infrastructure projects a reality. Their exceptional leadership and innovative thinking are what continues to distinguish the Canadian P3 model as globally best-in-class,” Romoff said.
The partners involved in the North Commuter Parkway & Traffic Bridge Project include the City of Saskatoon and Graham Commuter Partners, a consortium of Graham Infrastructure, ASL Paving, BBGI, Buckland & Taylor Ltd., Clifton Associates Ltd., National Bank Financial, Tetra Tech and Urbaser Environment (Valorga).
Quotes:
“The City of Saskatoon is incredibly honoured to have received this award. Our entire team, including city employees, the city’s Technical Advisory Team and Graham Commuter Partners, worked together to ensure this project took into consideration the highest levels of safety, environmental preservation and value to Saskatoon and area citizens. Not only did this project deliver two new bridges and connecting roadways to improve traffic flow in some of the busiest areas of Saskatoon, it also took into account the city’s cherished history and Indigenous roots. To be recognized for this achievement by the CCPPP is immeasurably meaningful to the entire team.”
- Nicole Slade, Senior P3 Contracts Manager, City of Saskatoon
“Graham is proud to be recognized with our partners for successfully delivering this P3 project for the City of Saskatoon. It’s an important award for the team because the safe delivery of this on-time, on-budget project reflects the effective collaboration we shared with the city and with our partners, not only during the two-year design and construction period, but also in the planning and bidding processes which unfolded over many months.” This is the 14th P3 project Graham has been involved with across Canada and their fourth P3 project in Saskatchewan.
- Andy Trewick, Senior Vice-President of Infrastructure, Graham
City of Saskatoon North Commuter Parkway & Traffic Bridge Project (Infrastructure Award): When Saskatoon residents and civil and Indigenous leaders came together to celebrate the official opening earlier this month, it was clear this project was about more than improved infrastructure and reduced commutes. It was also building a more inclusive community.
The new six-lane bridge on the Parkway pays tribute to Chief Mistawasis, the Cree Chief who signed Treaty 6, while the modern steel-truss structure of the rehabilitated Traffic Bridge uses complex engineering to preserve its historical character while meeting today’s safety standards.
The project is the largest infrastructure project ever delivered in the City of Saskatoon and the first bundled transportation P3 in Canada. “The city and consortium worked closely together to ensure community engagement, to manage artifact recovery and to accelerate approvals. The project bundling helped to significantly lower costs for residents and improve traffic in a bustling part of the city,” the awards committee noted. The project’s cost savings by using the P3 delivery model are estimated at $69.4 million, compared to conventional project procurement.
About the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships
Established in 1993, CCPPP is a national not-for-profit non-partisan, member-based organization with broad representation from across the public and private sectors. Our mission is to collaborate with all levels of government and Indigenous communities to enable smart, innovative approaches to public infrastructure development and service delivery that achieve the best outcomes for Canadians. The Council is a proponent of evidence-based public policy in support of P3s, facilitates the adoption of international best practices, and educates stakeholders and the community on the economic and social benefits of public-private partnerships.