John Laing consortium is appointed preferred bidder on £223m Finnish PPP motorway scheme.

John Laing has announced it is part of a consortium that has been appointed preferred bidder for the £223m E18 Muurla-Lohja Motorway Project in Finland. The consortium consists of Laing Roads, Skanska BOT AB from Sweden and the Lemminkainen Group from Finland.

John Laing will invest approximately £9m in the concession company. The project includes detailed road design, construction and maintenance as well as financing and is expected to reach financial close in the next quarter.

The contract will be John Laing’s second major project in Finland. Chief executive Andy Friend said: “We will be an investor in three of the four PPP roads that have been awarded so far in the Nordic region. This is further evidence that deployment of the business model for PPP Investment in public infrastructure is now gathering pace in Europe outside the UK.”

The agreement is for 21 years from the date the road opens.