BESIX Group will build two flyover bridges, a one-lane ramp and a two-lane tunnel in the Shindagha district near Port Rashid. Crossing major thoroughfares of the city, the new infrastructure will dramatically improve traffic.
The contract was awarded to Six Construct, a BESIX entity in the Middle East, by RTA. It is part of RTA’s Shindagha Corridor Improvement project, a 13km-long road network along Sheikh Rashid, Al Mina, Al Khaleej, and Cairo Streets, that will be executed in five phases and is due for completion in 2027. Thanks to its strong proposal and optimised temporary structures design, Six Construct won the tender against five other competitors.
The new infrastructure will enhance the Al Falcon junction at the intersection between Al Khaleej Street, Ghubaiba Street and Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street. It includes two flyover bridges along Al Khaleej Street with six lanes in each direction, a one-lane ramp from Khaled bin Al Waleed Street towards Al Khaleej Street northbound, and a two-lane tunnel for left-turn movements from Khaled Bin Al Walid Street to Mina Street southbound. The two main bridges, 466m and 792m long, are cast-in-situ, post-tensioned, box-shaped concrete bridge structures. The tunnel is 456m long, made of reinforced concrete retaining wall and slab, and is covered over 85m length in the centre, under the road junction. The at-grade signalised junction under the bridge will also be improved.
Improving traffic flow and safety is a priority for RTA, in accordance with the directives set by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai. One of RTA requirements is that the traffic remains uninterrupted, which means the works will be carried out in several phases of road diversions and construction, and occur in a same area in sequences only.
BESIX Group has a decades-long track record in bridge infrastructure in Europe (Herstal viaducts in Belgium, Theemswegtracé and Nijkerkerbrug in the Netherlands) and the Middle-East (Business bay bridges, Palm Jumeirah Bridge, Shindagha Infinity Bridge in Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Bridge and Al Maryah Bridges in Abu Dhabi).
Olivier Crasson, General Manager of BESIX Contracting Middle East: “We are proud to participate in a project that will improve mobility and safety in Dubai. Works will be carried out in such a way that traffic will not be disrupted. We attach great attention to traffic flow and safety and have planned our working methods accordingly.”
Works started in October 2019 with completion expected in 2022.
