Nearly 70 per cent of work has been completed on the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah causeway, one of the largest infrastructure projects being constructed in the GCC region with an estimated cost of $3 billion, and is on track for opening in November 2018.

The project, being developed by Kuwait's Ministry of Public Works (MPW), provides new strategic highway routes to facilitate planned development to the north of Kuwait City and comprises two discrete elements - the Main Link (which spans across Kuwait Bay between the capital and the Subiya area) and Doha Link (which crosses the south of Kuwait Bay linking Shuwaikh Port with the Doha motorway).

The total length of the main causeway is 36 km of which 27 km is a marine bridge structure. Cutting across Kuwait Bay, it will link the Shuwaikh Port area on the south side of the bay to the Subiya New Town area to the north of the country.

Doha Link, predominantly a marine bridge structure, will span across Sulaibikhat Bay between Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City and Doha Peninsula, including the connection with the roads on the Doha Peninsula.

Doha Link spans 12.4 km in each direction with three lanes and an emergency lane in each direction.

Dar Al Handasah, supported by SSH as its local consultant, has been appointed by MPW to undertake a review of the contractor’s design and site supervision services. The consultancy agreement was signed by MPW on November 18, 2013 and the duration of the services spans the 60-month construction and 12-month maintenance periods.

Korea's Hyundai Engineering and Construction and Kuwait's Combined Group is the main contractor.

Once completed, the bridge will cut the travelling distance between Kuwait City and Al Subiya region to 36 km from the present 104 km, said a statement from MPW.

Bader Al Refai, the assistant secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Planning, said the engineering marvel (together with the Doha link) is poised to become the world's largest sea bridge.

On its opening, the causeway will turn out to be hot tourist attraction and will have a huge impact in the revival of the northern area of Kuwait and its future cities and projects, he added.-TradeArabia News Service