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New contractor found to finish delayed city bridge
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February 24th, 2014
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Work has been delayed since bankruptcy of previous builder
DS SM, a steel supplier in Rødekro, has won the contract from the city of Copenhagen to finish the Inderhavnsbroen, a bicycle/pedestrian bridge that stretches across the inner harbour between Nyhavn and Christianshavn. The bridge was expected to be finished last year, but the bankruptcy of original contractor Pihl & Søn has kept it in limbo.
The contract is expected to be signed at the end of March. The company is engaged in analysis and optimisation of the project and the development of 3D modeling and working drawings for the steel production required to complete the project.
READ MORE: Bridges delayed after Pihl & Søn's collapse
“We narrowed the field down from six potential prospects to three,” Jens Zøfting-Larsen from the City Council told Ingeniøren newspaper. “Three contractors submitted bids based on what they thought they could finish the project for.”
Larsen said all of the bids were “close” and that the decision to go with DS SM was not based solely on price, but also the company’s reputation for patience and timeliness.
Spanish supplier sent packing
Following the Pihl bankruptcy, major problems were discovered with the steel delivered by that company’s Spanish supplier. Larsen said that the city has no plans to compensate it for any losses it may have suffered when Pihl went under.
“They have contacted us, but we have consistently rejected the company on the grounds that the council had no contractual obligations to them,” said Larsen. "Any balance they are owed is part of the Pihl bankruptcy estate and they will not get much out of pursuing a case against the city of Copenhagen , because we have no obligation to them.”
The negotiations and the signing of the preliminary agreement apply only to Inderhavnsbroen. A bid to finish two other pedestrian channel bridges in the city – Trangravsbroen (over Trangraven Canal in Christianshavn) and Proviantbroen (over Fredriksholm Canal) – is expected in early March.
The city is still hoping that all of the bridges will be finished by next year. The price of completing the work on the bridges is estimated to be 66 million kroner.
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