Salini Impregilo, an Italy-based global player in infrastructure construction, has signed a $435-million contract with Meydan Group to build the Meydan One Mall in Dubai, UAE.

The unique project will be part of Dubai’s showcase to visitors in preparation for Expo 2020.

The mall is part of a massive urban development project located between Meydan and Al Khail Road, close to the heart of the city. It is set to become a major attraction in Dubai when the first phase opens in 2020.

According to the agreement, Salini Impregilo will prepare the area for development by overseeing the excavations and building of the sub- and superstructures for the complex, including the foundations for a ski slope and the concrete support for the steel structure above the mall.

Construction is to begin this year and finish within 23 months.

The mall is the first of several phases to this urban development project, which will include a water canal, a tourist port, walking and biking tracks and one of the tallest residential buildings in the world.

Added conveniences will feature two metro lines passing underneath it, one of which – the Green Line – will connect to Dubai Airport by 2020.

Salini Impregilo has had a long presence in Dubai and the UAE. Other projects in its portfolio include the Ras Al Khor Interchange and Parallel Roads R 881 in Dubai, as well as the Deep Sewer Tunnel and Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. - TradeArabia News Service