(ANSA) - BELGRADE, DECEMBER 4 - The Turkish construction giant Cengiz claimed the company has won a bid for the construction of a second tube at the Karavanke motorway border tunnel between Slovenia and Austria, the Slovenian news agency STA reported.

Cengiz "won," said Mohamed Cengiz, the main negotiator for the Turkish company. According to STA, the Slovenian motorway operator DARS invited bids from Cengiz, a consortium between the Slovenian companies Kolektor CGP and Riko and the Turkish company Yapi Merkezi, and a consortium including Implenia Österreich, Implenia Schweiz and CGP Novo Mesto. "Cengiz offered to build the eight-kilometre border tunnel with Austria for 99.6 million euro, while the other two bidders made estimates of 121 million and 121.5 million," the agency reported, board, the decision will be handed to the bidders. The decision, STA added, could become final by the end of this year.

The start of construction at the Slovenian side of the tunnel had initially been slated for mid-2018 and it is expected to take five years until completion, while Austria started works on its section last September. (ANSA).