Kuwait is in the final stages of signing the contract for the estimated KD720m ($2.6bn) Subiya Causeway, which will link the Subiya promontory with Kuwait City.

Speaking at MEED’s Arabian World Construction Summit (AWCS), Saad Soud al-Muhaiby, director of master planning department for Kuwait Municipality, said that the project was nearing award stage and that the government was keen to approve the contract award as soon as possible.

Kuwait’s Central Tenders Committee (CTC) approved the $2.6bn low bid from the consortium headed by South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company in February last year for the contract to build the bridge after receiving bids from contractors in October 2010. However, more than one year on, and the contract has not been awarded.

The Subiya Causeway has faced several delays since the tender was first opened in 2006. The project, officially known as the Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmed al-Sabah bridge, was repeatedly delayed due to design changes to allow large vessels to pass beneath it and avoid environmental damage. The Public Works Ministry, the client for the project, reopened the prequalification process in 2010.

The causeway will cross Kuwait Bay, linking Kuwait City with the Subiya promontory and Bubiyan Island, where various major projects are proposed. The planned causeway will be 37.5 kilometres long and incorporate a bridge spanning 150-200 metres.