DLA Piper advises John Laing on partnership in Norway's largest-ever PPP

DLA Piper has advised John Laing Group on the acquisition of an indirect majority interest in Norway’s Rv555 road public-private-partnership (PPP). The project, Norway’s largest-ever PPP project, was procured by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

The Rv555 project consists of the design, build, finance, operation, and maintenance (DBFOM) of a 9.4 km four-lane road link on the Rv555 in Norway’s Vestland County and includes the construction of a four-lane circa 900m suspension bridge, a 4.6 km long twin-tube tunnel, pedestrian underpasses, smaller bridges pedestrian and bicycle paths. The project is currently in early-stage construction and aims to deliver lower transport costs, better accessibility, and increased traffic safety for the municipalities of Bergen and Øygarden.

DLA Piper have also advised on other recent Norwegian infrastructure projects, including the Rv3/Rv25 road project in the county of Hedmark and a large-scale roads and tunnelling project on the Norwegian section of the E10 route, which is currently in procurement.

The DLA Piper team was led by London based Finance and Projects partner, Rubayet Choudhury and Corporate partner Jonathan Watkins. They were supported by Litigation and Regulatory partners Sarah Smith and Karen Butler, Corporate partner Jonathan Powling, Finance and Projects partner Fredrik Lindblom, Oslo based Real Estate partner Helge Neraal, Corporate senior associate Michael Hudson, Legal Director Eleanor Kerslake, Senior Associates Sinead Wood and Martin Strom.

Rubayet Choudhury, partner at DLA Piper, said: “We are proud to have supported the John Laing team once again on this game-changing project and we are pleased to have kept our track record of using our market-leading international and Norwegian infra expertise to advise on each of the three recent Norwegian transport PPPs.”