CROSSING THE BRIDGE
Due to be completed in 2018, the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway Project is the government's flagship project to transform Kuwait into a regional transportation hub.
Widely considered to be the flagship infrastructure project planned under the government's five-year development plan, the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway Project (SJSC) is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2018. The causeway constitutes a prime example of the government's successful implementation of the public-private partnership (PPP) model to not only bring about much-needed infrastructural renovations, but also to provide a sustainable financing solution with it. Despite staggering temperatures of up to 53 degrees Celsius, sandstorms, and high humidity levels at the construction sites, thorough feasibility studies and novel concreting methods have been crucial to meeting the operational challenges of one of the region's most complex infrastructure projects. With a total estimated project cost of more than KWD738.75 million, which is equivalent to more than USD2.5 billion, the megaproject will accommodate one of the largest ocean-crossing causeways in the world.
Consisting of two causeway links, the SJSC's main link will encompass a 36.1km bridge with six lanes in both directions across Kuwait Bay, connecting Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait City to newly developed Subiyah New Town. Tendered by the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) until 2013, major engineering and design powerhouses including SYSTRA Design, Hyundai, and DONGBANG Engineering eventually formed a consortium to design, construct, and complete the flagship project's main link. With traffic congestion being especially preeminent in Kuwait City, the SJSC's main link will not only decongest the country's capital, but will also expectedly shorten travel time between Shuwaikh and Subiyah by 40 minutes. Moreover, Kuwait City, which is part of the Al-Asimah Governorate, as well as neighboring governorates, such as Mubarak Al-Kabeer, or Hawalli, constitute areas of high population density. In this regard, the new causeway will further contribute to bridging the gap between Kuwait's “North-South" divide. Furthermore, two artificial islands on the SJSC's northern and southern side will house maintenance and fuel stations. On the other hand, the SJSC's additional “Doha link" will reduce road congestion and provide a faster connection between the Shuwaikh Port area and Entertainment City in the western Doha peninsula. Adjacent to the SJSC's main Subiyah spur, the causeway's Doha link will also extend across a 7km sea bridge across Sulaibikhat Bay and ultimately connect with Doha Expressway. With estimated costs of up to KWD169 million, the causeway's Doha link roughly accounts for one-fourth of overall project costs. Given the project's complexity, however, the causeway's two links have separately been called for tenders. Accordingly, a different consortium, consisting of GS Engineering & Construction, Dar Al Handasah, and SSH Design, was formed to handle the design, construction, and maintenance of the Doha link. Moreover, nearly two years before the project's contractual end date of November 2018, the MPW recently announced that more than one-third of the causeway's Doha link is already complete.
With the constructing site reclaiming more than 1.5 million sqm of land, the SJSC is set to transform the country's infrastructure and the mobility of Kuwaitis for years to come. In addition to catering for a host of much-needed viaducts, bridges, drainages, and intelligent transport services, the causeway is a success story in terms of foreign companies being directly involved in turning Kuwait into a regional transportation hub. In view of this, the causeway project is on a par with various infrastructural improvements including port redevelopments, the construction of a new terminal at Kuwait International Airport, as well as major road renovations. Incorporating various state-of-the-art construction technologies and intelligent transport systems, the SJSC nonetheless constitutes the centrepiece of the government's infrastructural ambitions to align Kuwait with the rest of the GCC to enable the country's transformation into a post-oil “knowledge economy."
CROSSING THE BRIDGE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Guest Speaker
Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Prime Minister , Malaysia
TBY talks to Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, on the growing contribution that Islamic countries are making to the global economy and how Islamic financing can offer new opportunities to industry and academia.
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HE Khaled Nasser Abdullah Al-Roudan, Minister, Commerce and Industry (MoCI)
TBY talks to HE Khaled Nasser Abdullah Al-Roudan, Minister of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), on tools and strategies for diversifying the economy, the role of international players in supporting a wider range of sectors, and the rapidly developing food industry.
read articleInterview
HE Yousef Al-Ebraheem, Advisor , Al-Diwan Al-Amiri
TBY talks to HE Yousef Al-Ebraheem, Economic Advisor to the Al-Diwan Al-Amiri, on the need for a rejuvenation of Kuwait's infrastructure to support an economy that has come a long way and the role education will play in delivering the expertise required by the society.
read articleInterview
Dr. Khaled A. Mahdi, Secretary-General , Supreme Council for Planning & Development (GSSCPD)
TBY talks to Dr. Khaled A. Mahdi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning & Development (GSSCPD), on the breakdown of Kuwait's long-term economic plan, the KPIs that will benchmark its success, and what Vision 2035 means for the nature of the economy.
read articleInterview
Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Director General, Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA)
TBY talks to Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, Director General of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), on launching an investment promotion conference, attracting the right partners for PPP, and expectations for the year ahead.
read articleInterview
HE Dr. Mohammad M. Al-Zuhair, Executive Chairman, Kuwait National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprise Development
TBY talks to HE Dr. Mohammad M. Al-Zuhair, Executive Chairman of the Kuwait National Fund for Small and Medium Enterprise Development, on empowering young Kuwaitis, IT and entrepreneurialism, and the growth of fintech.
read articleFocus: Still all in the family?
Merchant families in Kuwait
Family-owned businesses play a major role in the Kuwaiti economy. However, with many approaching the third generation of management, they are starting to come across unique problems that may pose issues for the greater economy.
read articleInterview
HE Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, Director, Environmental Public Authority (EPA)
TBY talks to HE Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, Director of Environmental Public Authority (EPA), on how oil companies can contribute to Kuwait's vision on sustainability and the various projects that are coming to fruition.
read articleInterview
Dr. Samira S. Omar Asem, Director General, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR)
TBY talks to Dr. Samira S. Omar Asem, Director General of the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), on commercializing the green innovations coming from R&D initiatives, the role of collaboration across multiple sectors, and projects that we should expect to see more of in the future.
read articleInterview
Khaled Abdulrazzaq Al Khaled, Vice-Chairman and CEO, Boursa Kuwait Company
TBY talks to Khaled Abdulrazzaq Al Khaled, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Boursa Kuwait Company, on the takeover of the Kuwait Stock Exchange and the role the bourse plays in both the privatization of government entities and as a source of capital for family businesses.
read articleInterview
HE Essam Abdul Mohsen Al-Marzouq, Minister, Oil & Minister of Electricity and Water
TBY talks to HE Essam Abdul Mohsen Al-Marzouq, Minister of Oil & Minister of Electricity and Water, on cooperation with other ministries, the private sector's role in energy, and upcoming regulations.
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Ghalib Shlash Safouq, Assistant Undersecretary for the Construction Projects Sector, Ministry of Public Works
TBY talks to Ghalib Shlash Safouq, Assistant Undersecretary for the Construction Projects Sector at the Ministry of Public Works, on Kuwaiti companies, the country's healthcare facilities, and the role of international companies.
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Khaled K. Al Mashaan, Vice-Chairman & CEO, ALARGAN International Real Estate Company
TBY talks to Khaled K. Al Mashaan, Vice-Chairman & CEO of ALARGAN International Real Estate Company, on drivers of growth, operating throughout the region, and real estate prices in Kuwait.
read articleInterview
Tawfiq Ahmed Bin Sultan, Chairman, Middle East Telecommunications Company (METCO)
TBY talks to Tawfiq Ahmed Bin Sultan, Chairman of the Middle East Telecommunications Company (METCO), on e-government potential, the future of the economy, and the state of technology uptake in Kuwait.
read articleInterview
Sheikh Yousef Abdullah Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, Director General, Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA)
TBY talks to Sheikh Yousef Abdullah Sabah Al-Nasser Al-Sabah, Director General of Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA), on his operational plans for the near future and turning Kuwait into a regional logistics hub.
read articleInterview
HE Khaled Nasser Abdullah Al-Roudan, Acting Minister, State for Youth Affairs
TBY talks to HE Khaled Nasser Abdullah Al-Roudan, Acting Minister of State for Youth Affairs, on e-platforms and blended learning programs, developing ICT skills, and preparing young people for tomorrow.
read articleInterview
Eng. Ali Hussein Al Youha, Secretary-General, National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters
TBY talks to Eng. Ali Hussein Al Youha, Secretary-General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, on the activities of the Council and works to preserve and enhance Kuwait's cultural heritage.
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