Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) was the most active client in Saudi Arabia last year.

In late July, the state authority more than doubled the value of contracts awarded in the kingdom through the award of the $22.5bn Riyadh Metro project to three consortiums. That deal alone represented 52 per cent of the work awarded in the first seven months of 2013; it also meant that ADA overtook the Interior Ministry, which in recent years had been the kingdom’s biggest projects client.

All told, ADA has overseen about $1.6bn of completed work. This has included the Riyadh Ring-Road Project and phase 4 of the Addiriyah Heritage City. To date, the authority’s largest completed projects have been the Al-Oraba Road expansion and King Abdallah Khaled bin al-Walid Eastern Road intersection, each worth $410m. Both were finished in 2013.

Transport infrastructure

On top of the $22.5bn of contracts awarded for the metro, ADA has a further $440m of work under way. This includes phases 2 and 3 of King Abdullah Road ($40m each) and the construction of a tunnel at the Mecca Road and Salah al-Din Road intersection ($35m).

It also has the $120m upgrade of Abu Bakr al Siddiq Motorway under bid, which includes road, bridge and tunnel work. Spain’s Idom was appointed project consultant in early 2012.

ADA is led by the body’s president, Ibrahim bin Muhammad al-Sultan, who is also a member of the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh (HCDR). The ADA falls under the umbrella of the High Commission. The executive branch of the HCDR is tasked with developing economic, social, cultural, architectural and environmental aspects of Riyadh.

Plans to build the $22.5bn Riyadh Light Rail Transit, also known as Riyadh Metro, were approved in April 2012 by the Council of Ministers as part of the Riyadh Public Transport project. Due to be operational in 2019, the network will be 176 kilometres long with 85 stations. Six lines are planned: Blue, Green, Red, Orange, Yellow and Purple (also numbered 1-6, respectively). Once operational, the metro will have three passenger classes on all trains: first, family and single.

Beirut-based Dar al-Handasah and France’s Egis Rail worked on preliminary designs for the metro project. The US’ CH2M Hill was appointed the project management office for the scheme.

Main metro packages

On 28 July 2013, the ADA awarded the main construction contracts to three consortiums, split into five packages.

In late August 2013, ADA awarded the project and construction management contracts for the scheme. Lines 1, 2 and 3 will be managed by a joint venture between US’ Parsons International, and Egis and Systra (both France). The contract is worth $556m. A Louis Berger and Hill International (both US) joint venture was awarded the contract for lines 4, 5 and 6. The contract is worth $246m.

In early October 2013, UK-based consultancy Atkins was selected as the lead engineering consultant on the FAST consortium’s development of the metro, working on lines 4, 5 and 6. The BACS consortium will tender subcontracts for its work in early 2014, with a view to making awards by summertime. The documentation is being prepared by Aecom.