Transport authority to build Sheikh Zayed road bridges

18 January 2008
Dubai opens bids for next phase of parallel roads scheme and tram system.

Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is to oversee bridge building to take the Sheikh Zayed road over the western end of the Arabian Canal.

Until now, it has not been clear whether the RTA or the developer behind the $11bn Arabian Canal scheme, Limitless, would take charge of the construction of bridges for the city’s most important transport artery, close to the Ibn Batutta shopping mall.

Limitless has previously been responsible for bridge building on the canal scheme further inland.

The RTA has also opened bids for the next phase of the parallel roads scheme and the Al-Sufouh tram system.

Firms have until 24 January to bid for the consultancy contract on the RTA’s Arabian Canal crossings. The contract covers the design of the bridges on Sheikh Zayed road and Emirates road, next to Jumeirah Golf Estates, as well as road diversion routes, services and utilities for the canal.

Bidders include three UK firms - Halcrow, Hyder Consulting and Mott MacDonald - as well as US-based Parsons International.

The bridges at the western end of the Arabian Canal are the second set of water crossings for the Sheikh Zayed highway planned by the RTA.

In December 2007, it invited contractors to bid for two 610-metre-long bridges to take the highway over the Dubai Creek extension close to Safa park.

Sheikh Zayed road is the primary corridor through Dubai and any work is expected to cause severe congestion.

The Dubai government ordered a public holiday for the visit of US President George Bush on 14 January because his security requirements entailed the closure of Sheikh Zayed road and another major road artery, Al-Khail road.

The RTA is planning a series of schemes to reduce dependence on Sheikh Zayed road. One key project is the parallel roads scheme, which involves the construction of two roads from Jebel Ali to Zabeel.

Bids were submitted on 7 January for phase 3b, which covers the construction of roads through the Al-Barsha area and several Emaar Properties developments, including the Springs, Meadows and Emirates Hills.

The low bidder is the local Al-Naboodah Contracting, with a price of AED950m ($259m).

Public transport systems are also being developed. Commercial prices have been opened for the estimated AED2bn Al-Sufouh tram system. The low bidder is France’s Alstom with the local/Belgian Belhasa Six Construct.

It is not clear whether the RTA will choose the lowest bid and tender the operations and maintenance separately, or award the contract to Ansaldo Trasporti, which submitted a bid with Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and Italy’s Pizarotti that included a price for operations and maintenance (MEED 11:1:08).

A MEED Subscription...

Subscribe or upgrade your current MEED.com package to support your strategic planning with the MENA region’s best source of business information. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package.