The City of Edmonton has selected its preferred proponent to design, build and partially finance the $2.6 billion 14-kilometre Valley Line West Light Rail Transit (LRT) project: Marigold Infrastructure Partners (MIP).
The MIP consortium – which consists of team members Colas, Parsons, Standard General, Francl Architecture, Fast & Epp and Stantec – and the city will now enter into final discussions, with the contract expected to be finalized by the end of 2020. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2021 and is anticipated to take about five to six years to complete.
“We’d like to thank each of our proponent teams for participating in our procurement. We’re confident our rigorous competitive process has culminated in the selection of a strong team to deliver the Valley Line West LRT at good value for Edmontonians,” said Brad Smid, director of Valley Line.
The city launched its Valley Line West procurement process in January 2020 and released its proponent shortlist in March. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the team adapted and shifted the process online. Proponents first provided technical submissions, including draft designs and plans, to demonstrate their ability to meet the city’s rigorous technical requirements. All teams passed this first hurdle and were invited to submit a financial proposal. The city evaluated these proposals to make sure they met financial requirements, and the team with the lowest financial bid was selected as the preferred proponent.
“Marigold Infrastructure Partners is very excited to work with the City of Edmonton on the Valley Line West LRT. As partners of MIP, Colas—whose subsidiary Standard General has delivered projects in Edmonton since 1969, and Parsons—building on their decades-long legacy of delivering P3 projects in Alberta, are proud to help the City build Edmonton and meet its long-term strategic goals for the city,” said Xavier Fenaux, with Colas Canada.
As Edmonton plans its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Valley Line West LRT construction project will play a key role in contributing to that recovery in the city and region. An economic assessment of the project estimates that construction will generate $760 million in wages in Alberta and another $209 million throughout the country. It is expected to generate 8,800 jobs in the province and 2,700 across Canada.
The project has funding commitments from the Province of Alberta and Government of Canada. It is the second phase of the Valley Line, a 27-kilometre low-floor urban style LRT line that will provide seamless connection between Mill Woods and Lewis Farms once complete. The first phase of the project, Valley Line Southeast, is currently under construction.
