Gulf Construction Online - Consultant set for Subiya bridge

Regional News

Consultant set for Subiya bridge

01 November 2001

Kuwait has signed a deal with Cowi-Consult of Denmark to design and supervise the construction of Subiya Bridge, which will link Kuwait City and the proposed Subiya City.

The project is part of a plan to develop the new city which be linked to Kuwait City across Kuwait Bay by the causeway reducing the distance between the two sites to 22 km from 130 km.

The first phase is for a feasibility study on the causeway, proposals for the best route for construction and suggested options for awarding of the project on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.

The second phase will be for developing a preliminary design and will include studies on the flow of traffic from Kuwait City to the causeway.

The construction period for the causeway will be about four years, starting in 2003.

Kuwait has earmarked KD282 million ($925 million) for building the bridge, Public Works Minister Fahd Al Meih.

The bridge will be the "second longest of its kind", Al Meih said.

Al Mei said he hoped the consultant would cut the design period from 13 months to eight.

The government has recently completed an economic feasibility study on the project and is currently studying options on private sector participation. However, it is likely that the private sector would be invited under the build, operate and transfer (BOT) system, he added.

Subiya is expected to be developed into a city of about 250,000 people in the coming 30 years by the private sector.

According to the plan, it will have an industrial area, a university, ports and its own power station.

Kuwait plans to open its oil operations in its northern territory to foreign companies, which will need housing and services closer than Kuwait City.

Subiya City is to be built in three phases over 20 years in a northern, uninhabited part of the country close to the Iraqi border

The project is expected to cover 260 sq km.