Rīgas satiksme has signed a contract with A.C.B. AS for the construction works on the route 5 tram section – Slokas iela and Jūrmalas gatve intersection to the terminal “Iļģuciems”. Construction works are planned to start in March and to be completed in December 2023. The works will also include changes to the traffic organisation and during the construction phase, passenger transport will be provided by bus, replacing the tram.

Jānis Golubevs, Member of the Board of Rīgas satiksme: "Route 5 tram was opened in the early 1950s and no major infrastructure renovation works have been carried out there over the years. We are therefore pleased that this route will soon be renovated, at least partially, and passengers will have a better experience of public transport and the quality of the service will be improved. The construction deadlines are tight, so while the construction works are underway, tram movement will be closed from Slokas iela and Jūrmalas gatve intersection to the terminal “Iļģuciems” and passengers will be transported by bus, but once these works are completed, travelling by route 5 tram will be more comfortable.” 

Construction work is planned to start as soon as weather conditions permit, and will include the reconstruction of the existing tram infrastructure and associated facilities, including the renewal of the track structure and the construction of new rails. At the same time, the construction of raised tram stop platforms on both the carriageway and the pavement, and the installation of stop equipment, are planned to meet environmental accessibility requirements. The tram overhead line support will also be rebuilt and the overhead system will be rebuilt, electrical cabling will be rebuilt and new sections constructed, track drainage networks will be rebuilt, overhead lighting networks with luminaires will be rebuilt, and street and pavement edging will be rebuilt and resurfaced. 

Three proposals by tenderers were received for the works on the section of route 5 tram section Slokas iela and Jūrmalas gatve intersection to the terminal “Iļģuciems”, adapting it to the parameters of a low-floor tram, with the lowest contract price offered by one of Latvia's leading road and bridge construction companies, A.C.B. AS. The total amount of the contract awarded is EUR 8 877 714.

“We have a significant amount of work to do in a relatively short period of time. In addition, the works have to be planned in such a way as to cause as little inconvenience as possible to the residents in such a densely populated area with relatively high traffic volumes. At the same time, despite the deadlines, we are committed to supporting the marathon and the running championships, ensuring that they can be delivered as originally planned. Therefore, with the support of the contracting authority and the construction supervision, we plan to subordinate the works to the needs of these events,” says Andris Miezis, Project Director of A.C.B, AS stressing that the company's experience in the construction of complex and complicated engineering structures is an advantage in order to be able to perform the planned construction works in such circumstances with the appropriate quality and to complete them on time.

RoadLat SIA, which submitted the most economically advantageous proposal for a total amount of EUR 28 840, will carry out the construction supervision. A total of 6 proposals from tenderers were received for the construction supervision.

Given the complexity and specificity of the project, professional and independent supervision of the construction process is essential to ensure a high quality and safe construction process by checking the sequence of construction works and the compliance of the construction technology with the construction design, the design of the works, as well as the compliance of occupational safety and other requirements with the regulatory enactments. 

Author's supervision of the construction project will be carried out by Transportbūvju konsultācijas SIA. The total amount of the contract is EUR 38 880. The author's supervisor shall supervise the authentic realisation of the construction project (both individual parts of the construction project, their mutual correspondence and the content of the construction project as a whole) in nature, preventing arbitrary deviations of the construction participants from the construction project approved by the Riga City Council City Development Department, as well as violations of binding laws and regulations and standards during the construction works.

The construction works are co-financed by the European Union Cohesion Fund within the framework of Project No. 4.5.1.1/22/I/001 "Adaptation of Riga Tram Infrastructure to Low Floor Tram Parameters" (hereinafter – the Project). In addition to the reconstruction of the infrastructure of route 5 tram, the Project also plans to adapt the infrastructure of route 7 tram from Centrāltirgus iela to the terminal “Ķengarags” to the parameters of a low-floor tram, as well as to reconstruct the intersection of 11. novembra krastmala and 13. janvāra iela. The Project will also renovate four substations and construct one substation, all with electrical equipment, to ensure adequate power supply for the low-floor tram operation. The total cost of the Project is estimated at EUR 55.2 million, while the Cohesion Fund co-financing amounts to 85% of the eligible costs, i.e. EUR 38.78 million. 

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