The Ministry of Public Works & Housing (MPWH) has received bids for two major new road schemes in the northern emirates. The packages cover the first contract on the proposed Dubai-Fujairah freeway, and the latest phase of the outer bypass scheme linking Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah.

The MPWH has received bids from three companies for the first-phase package on the Dubai-Fujairah freeway project. The local/Cypriot National Wheel J&P has submitted a low bid of AED 313 million ($85 million), which is 2 per cent lower than the offer of AED 319 million ($87 million) submitted by the local Al-Muhairy Contracting. Saudi Binladin Group is the other bidder at AED 367 million ($100 million). The package has been tendered twice before, in 2003 and 2005. In 2005, Al-Muhairy submitted a low bid of AED 223 million ($61 million - MEED 14:4:05).

The package covers the construction of 23.3 kilometres of highway between the Sharjah-Kalba highway and the town of Sifini in the foothills of the Hajar mountains. The consultant is the local Al-Turath Consultants with the US' Wilbur Smith & Associates.

The MPWH received bids from six local companies for the outer bypass contract. Nael & Bin Harmal is the low bidder with an offer of AED 156 million ($43 million), which is about 5 per cent lower than the AED 177 million ($48 million) bid submitted by Darwish Engineering. The other bidders are Saif bin Darwish at AED 196 million ($53 million), Emirates Road Contracting and Ghantoot Transport & General Contracting, both at AED 199 million ($54 million), and Al-Muhairy at AED 203 million ($55 million).

The contract forms the south-eastern section of the proposed Sharjah-Ras al-Khaimah freeway. The dual-carriageway is approximately 16 kilometres long and involves the construction of two interchanges.