Monday, Nov 23, 2009
(This item was originally published Sunday.)
ABU DHABI (Zawya Dow Jones)--Construction of the world's longest marine causeway that will link the Persian Gulf states of Qatar and Bahrain will begin in the first quarter next year, with completion due by 2015, the official in charge of the project said Sunday.
Jaber Ali Al Mohannadi, general manager of the Qatar-Bahrain Causeway Foundation, said at a conference in Abu Dhabi that the cost of the 40-kilometer causeway project was about 20% lower than originally anticipated, due to a drop in raw material and equipment prices as a result of the world financial crisis.
Al Mohannadi didn't provide a cost estimate for the project, which industry officials have put at as much as $3 billion to $4 billion.
The project, also known as the Friendship Bridge, will be equally funded by both governments. On completion, the bridge will be the world's longest marine causeway, connecting Qatar's west coast with Bahrain's east coast.
The project's timeframe has fallen behind schedule due to the addition of freight and passenger rail lines to the causeway, which originally comprised only a highway.
A consortium led by Vinci Construction Grands Projects in May 2008 signed the design-build contract for the scheme. KBR Inc. (KBR) and U.K. engineering firm Halcrow last year won the two-phase contract for management planning and design oversight of the bridge.
-By Alex Delmar-Morgan, Dow Jones Newswires; +9714 374 8044; alex.delmar-morgan@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Co.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
23-11-09 0346GMT
