Egypt’s Housing, Utilities and Urban Development Ministry (MHUUD) is inviting prequalified groups to submit bids by August 2011 for the construction contract for the $1bn Rod el-Farag highway.

The ministry prequalified five consortiums to bid on the deal in October 2010 (MEED 20:10:10).

The five prequalified consortiums are:                       

• Orascom Construction Industries (local)/Besix (Belgium)/Egis (France)
• Strabag (Austria)/International Group for Investment (local)/EFG Hermes (local)
• Salik Motorway Consortium: Gek Terna (Greece)/Porr Solutions (Austria)/Hassan Allam Sons (local)
• GS Engineering and Construction Corporation (South Korea)
• Nilelink Motorway Consortium: China Communication (China)/Soares da Costa (Portugal)

The project will be carried out on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. The MHUUD will be assisted by the Finance Ministry. The successful bidder will design, build, finance, operate and maintain the highway for 20 to 25 years.

The Rod el-Farag highway will be 35 kilometres long with seven major intersections and will run between Cairo corniche and 6 October City, a satellite town.

It will comprise eight lanes, four in each direction and a 12-metre wide alignment for a twin-track electric light railway. The project will also comprise two major bridges across the river Nile and an option to toll the road once complete.

The Rod el-Farag highway is aimed at relieving congestion on the 26 July road in central Cairo. The volume of cars on the capital’s roads has increased by 402.6 per cent in the past 25 years and congestion is a major problem in Cairo. The highway will link the Cairo ring road with the Cairo-Alexandria desert highway and will also link the ring road with Shoubra, which is a district of Cairo.

The MHUUD expects construction to start in the fourth quarter of 2011.