Ballast Nedam to construct South American bridge


Dutch construction company Ballast Nedam has signed an agreement to design and construct the Carolina Bridge across the Suriname River in South America.

The agreement was made with the Ministry of Public Works of Suriname.

The existing bridge, which crosses the river 50 kilometres south of the country’s capital Paramaribo, is currently unusable due to its state of disrepair.

The Suriname River is 480 kilometres long.

Financial close concluding the agreement is expected to be finalised in early August. The net contract value of the project amounts to €32 million, Ballast Nedam said.

Ballast Nedam operates mainly in the Netherlands on projects for companies, public authorities and housing consumers in the mobility, housing, employment, leisure and energy sectors.

Internationally, the company supplies project, process and contract management in the development, implementation and management phases, as well as providing specialized knowledge and skills, and semi-finished and finished products.

Ballast Nedam is headquartered in Nieuwegein. One of the top five construction firms in the Netherlands, the company achieved a turnover of over €1.4 billion in 2009, solely from work in the Netherlands. It employs around 4,000 people across its various business units.