Briefs

Budimex wins contract to extend Reduta in Warsaw

The Polish construction firm Budimex has won a EUR 12.9 mln contract to conduct work on an extension to the Reduta shopping centre in Warsaw. The work is due to begin on December 15th and be complete by October 31st next year.

Good results for Hochtief

German Hochtief can boast improved results in Europe, though the strengthening of the Euro in relation to the US dollar has had a negative impact on the situation in other markets. In the third quarter of this year, Hochtief generated a net profit of EUR 16.8 mln. In the same period last year the loss amounted to EUR 6.8 mln. Both operating profit and turnover fell by 7.7 per cent.

Building permit refused for Okęcie extension

Construction of the new terminal at Warsaw Okęcie Airport is expected to be delayed by several months, after local authorities refused permission for the work to begin. The reasons for the decision included that insufficient documentation had been received by them regarding access roads. The Budimex Ferrovial and Estudia Lamela consortium, which won the USD 198.5 mln contract, will both have to submit the missing documentation very soon and be obliged to pay a fine according to the terms of agreement.

Re-development of Plac Grunwaldzki in Wrocław

Plac Grunwaldzki, the busiest road junction in Wrocław, is to be reconstructed at a cost of PLN 33 mln, which will be covered by the city. The reconstruction, which will alter both the junction's shape and capacity, is aimed at attracting investors who might be interested in developing the adjacent area. The scheme consists of a large roundabout and a number of subways. Several bus/tram stops will also be converted into one main stop in the centre of the roundabout.

UNI Centrum witnesses dispute

Business Centre 2000, which is an investor in the UNI Centrum office project in Katowice, in southern Poland, has withdrawn from its agreement with Mostostal Zabrze, which had been the building's general constructor. Among the reasons for the investor's decision, according to Business Centre 2000, was the absenteeism of MZ's workers from the construction site since the beginning of November.

Polnord wins contract in Germany

At the beginning of November, the TriCity construction firm, Polnord S.A., signed a EUR 900 thousand contract for the construction of steelworks for a company in Germany, where the work is to be carried out.

Mostostal Export wins total of USD 26 mln contracts in Russia

The Polish construction group Mostostal Export has announced that it has signed contracts worth a total of USD 26 mln, for projects in Russia. These include one for USD 20 mln, to build a shopping centre in Rostov-on-Don, which is due for completion in fourteen months' time. ME is also to construct a car showroom in Moscow, for around USD 6 mln.

Stretch of A2 motorway completed

A thirty seven kilometre stretch of the A2 motorway between Września to Poznań, has been completed and opened to traffic on November 28th. Strabag was the general contractor for the project, which cost EUR 225 bln, of which 49 per cent was financed by Autostrada Wielkopolska, 33 per cent by the European Investment Bank, and 26 per cent bank loans. Construction of another segment of the A2, from Nowy Tomysl to Swiebodzin, is due to start in the second half of 2004, provided that AW finds sufficient finance for the project in time.