Italy’s Impregilo has been awarded the estimated at AED785m ($213m) second tunnel contract for Abu Dhabi’s Strategic Tunnel Enhance Programme (Step).

The contract, awarded by Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC), involves the construction of a 10-kilometre long tunnel between Mafraq and Al-Wathba.

There are three tunnel packages on the Step project. Impregilo won the AED891m contract to build the middle section of the 40km-long tunnel from Mussafah to Mafraq in the first week of September 2009.

South Korea’s Samsung C&T is the preferred bidder for the third contract, estimated to be worth AED1.1bn, to dig the 16.1km, 4-metre-diameter tunnel from Abu Dhabi Island to the Mussafah area.

ADSSC received bids from four groups for the estimated AED2bn ($572m) contract to build the scheme’s pumping station in January (MEED 7:1:10).

The bidders are Kuwait’s Kharafi National with Lindenberg-Emirates and the local/Lebanese Arabian Construction Company (ACC); Germany’s Ed Zueblin; Brazil’s Odebrecht; and the local/Australian Al-Habtoor Leighton Group.

US-based CH2M Hill is the programme manager for the scheme.