Skip to main content

Sanef wins Mersey Gateway Bridge Free Flow toll system

Sanef Group has announced the financial close of the Mersey Gateway project in the UK, after Halton Borough Council signed agreements with the Merseylink consortium for the construction and the maintenance of the new bridge and its associated toll system, as well as for the toll operation and demand management.
April 28, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
480 Sanef Group has announced the financial close of the Mersey Gateway project in the UK, after Halton Borough Council signed agreements with the Merseylink consortium for the construction and the maintenance of the new bridge and its associated Toll system, as well as for the Toll operation and demand management.

According to Sanef, the overall contract is the largest public-private partnership (PPP) project in the UK this year (US$1 billion for the bridge construction) and the First PPP project in Europe to incorporate a free-flow Toll system.  It includes the supply of a new six lane bridge 1.5 kilometres away from the existing congested Silver Jubilee Bridge and the associated Toll collection system as a means of financing the infrastructure.

Sanef ITS will supply its latest all electronic tolling solution for the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee Bridges, including a full free flow gantry reading on board units and licence plates. The back office system, also supplied by Sanef ITS, will manage the registration and transactions for the two bridges and will be operated by Sanef ITS for seven years. Working to the tolling policy set by the client, Halton Council, as part of the demand management contract, Sanef ITS will manage marketing, promotion and revenue optimisation of the project.

The Merseylink consortium’s equity partners are 802 Macquarie Capital Group, 7728 Bilfinger Project Investments Europe and 5656 FCC Construcción. The construction of the new bridge will be undertaken by a joint venture, made up of 1809 Samsung C&T Corporation, Kier Infrastructure and Overseas and FCC Construcción.

The Mersey Gateway bridge is due open in 2017.

“After winning the Dartford Free Flow Crossing project in autumn 2013, the Sanef group further consolidates its leadership in the UK by offering a full service for tolling matters incorporating the Toll system supply, its related operation and further customer centric Toll services. This exclusive and integrated service addresses the need of large integrators and investors who can leave all tolling matters to one expert partner.” says Sanef ITS CEO, Jerome Couzineau.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Electronic toll collection: Change is in the air
    November 7, 2024
    Trends in technology plus users’ comfort in adopting new advances indicate that the environment for a new electronic toll collection architecture is evolving. Hal Worrall considers what this might look like
  • 3M to acquire FSTech from Federal Signal Corporation
    June 22, 2012
    3M has entered into an agreement to acquire the business of Federal Signal Technologies Group (FSTech) from Federal Signal Corporation for a purchase price of US$110 million in cash, subject to post-closing adjustments. 3M says the fast-growing $3 billion electronic tolling industry is projected to grow at a rate greater than 12 per cent per year as government agencies increasingly rely on tolling to fund roadway infrastructure, construction and maintenance. The company says FSTech’s solutions for electroni
  • FTA calls for greater reliability on road network following improvements at Dartford
    October 14, 2015
    Drivers using the Dartford Crossing at peak times are saving around an hour and a half every week thanks to Dart Charge, according to Highways England. New figures released by Highways England show that journeys over the Dartford Crossing, which cost £62million (US$95 million) to convert to free-flow tolling, are up to 56 per cent faster than before payment barriers were removed. Drivers at peak times save up to 14 minutes southbound and seven minutes northbound.
  • Clean air zone trial launched in Birmingham
    March 31, 2016
    A research project that gathers information on vehicle emissions in Birmingham got under way last month as part of the UK Government’s ongoing efforts to meet EU air quality targets. In December 2015, the UK Government announced plans to introduce Clean Air Zones in cities, including Birmingham, by 2020. These zones will not affect private car owners, but would aim to discourage the most polluting vehicles, such as old buses, coaches and lorries, from entering the zone. The new project, developed by B