A consortium, led by German construction companies Hochtief and Johann Bunte Bauunternehmung, with DIF Infrastructure IV as financier, has won a contract the extend the A6 federal highway in Germany.
The A6 runs horizontally across the south of the country, connecting France with the Czech Republic.
The ViA6 West consortium will plan, finance, build, operate and maintain an extension between the Wiesloch/Rauenberg intersection and the Weinsberg interchange in Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany.
The partners will widen a 26km section to six lanes and will refurbish the 1km-long Neckartal Bridge.
The project also entails the operation and maintenance of the A6 over a total distance of 47km.
The overall project is worth $1.4bn with construction accounting for $650m of that value.
DIF has a 50% stake in the consortium, with Hochtief holding 30% and Johann Bunte 20%.
Marcelino Fernández Verdes, Hochtief’s chief executive, said: "We’re delighted that the federal government is entering into another public-private partnership with us in the area of federal highways."
Financial close is expected in December 2016.
Construction is due to begin at the start of 2017 and be completed in the summer of 2022.
After completion, ViA6 West will operate the highway until 2046. Â
Image: The Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg (Wikimedia Commons/Arminia)