Work has started on a new expressway project in south Doha, Qatar, which will connect the Orbital Highway to the Hamad International Airport.

Qatar has award the ALYSJ five-partner consortium a $4.4-billion design-and-build contract for the Gold Line of the Doha Metro. The consortium is led by Greece’s Aktor and includes Turkish contractors STFA and Yapı Merkezi, along with India’s Larsen & Toubro, and Qatar’s Al Jaber Engineering.

Dorma has received four prestigious design awards for two of its products which have previously won honours for the leading German door technology systems specialist.

A joint venture of Gulf Contracting Company (GCC) and Alec Qatar has been awarded a contract from Bawabat Al Shamal Real Estate Company (Basrec) worth QR1.65-billion ($453 million) for the main works on the Doha Festival City Mall. The mall is part of Doha Festival City which is being developed by Basrec.

Al Hassan Engineering, one of Oman’s leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors, has signed a $5.2-million contract with Al Ghurair Iron and Steel. Under the deal, the contractor will construct Phase Two of the Al Ghurair Plant expansion in Abu Dhabi’s ICAD – I Mussafah.

HBK Contracting Company has been awarded the enabling works contract for Qatar’s Al Wakrah stadium, the first proposed venue to be delivered ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup. The Qatar-based contracting company was due to begin work last month and is scheduled to complete it by next March.

Al Meera Consumer Goods Company said it is investing QR1.5 billion ($412 million) for nine malls in and around Doha, Qatar, which are expected to be completed this year.

Construction work has started on a 206-room five-star hotel at the $600-million (RO230 million) Saraya Bandar Jissah, an integrated tourism complex being developed on the outskirts of Muscat, Oman.

Qatar has invited prequalification bids to provide project construction management services for a mass casualty trauma hospital in the north of Doha. The new facility will form part of a new medical city to be built next to Qatar University.

Realcorp introduces AAC in Bahrain Realcorp has introduced in Bahrain its AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) construction technology, which is described as being economical, safe and energy- and time-efficient. Realcorp is looking at popularising AAC in Bahrain and Qatar through its division Espac Bahrain in conjunction with Espac Saudi Arabia.

Government-led initiatives will continue to drive growth in the GCC construction sector this year, with social infrastructure projects remaining in focus, according to an annual report by Deloitte Middle East.

Construction work has been launched on the Hilton Panorama Residence at the Abraj Quarter precinct of The Pearl-Qatar development. According to First Qatar Real Estate Development Company, which will be investing up to $390 million in the project, construction will be completed by mid-2017.

Construction projects across all building sectors worth $128.46 billion are expected to be completed in the GCC by end of this year, hitting a 92.06 per cent increase compared to 2013 ($66.89 billion), a report said. The expected expenditure on interiors and fit-outs is $9.57 billion, 29.

The planned East Hidd City housing project in Bahrain has been given a major boost with the Housing Ministry signing a multi-million-dollar agreement to construct the first phase of the scheme, which includes 483 units. The Kuwaiti government will finance the BD18-million ($47.7 million) project under the GCC Development Programme.

Kuwaiti real estate developer First Bahrain expects to start work on a $50-million mixed-use commercial and residential development in Bahrain this year.

Nasser Bin Khaled & Sons (NBKS) is aiming to take sales of Case Construction Equipment to new highs in Qatar, supported by its long-standing partner’s proven heavy equipment and back-up service.

Qatar has unveiled plans for labour reforms which include  replacing a contentious sponsorship law known as “kafala” – in which migrant workers need their employer’s permission to change jobs – with a system based on employment contracts, officials said in Doha.

Kuwait-based Al Mazaya Holding Company has awarded a BD2.2-million ($5.8 million) contract to KMC Bahrain for the construction of its industrial warehousing facility in Bahrain. The upcoming Mazaya Logistics’ industrial warehousing facility is spread over 27,605 sq m in Bahrain Investment Wharf.