A pair of new contracts to build two pavilions and an access road at the Expo 2020 site worth a combined 670 million dirhams ($182.4 million) have been awarded to British construction company Laing O'Rourke.

The contractor has been appointed to build Expo 2020's Leadership and Media Pavilions as well as an access road to the 150m-diameter Al Wasl Plaza, which sits at the centre of the site.

“We are delighted to announce Laing O’Rourke as the main contractor for these important two contracts," Ahmed Al Katib, senior vice-president of real estate and delivery for Expo 2020 said in a press release announcing the award.

“These projects will be constructed in close proximity to the UAE Pavilion and other pavilions. This area is already a hive of construction activity, with all of these projects being built simultaneously."

He added that "close collaboration" would be needed between contractors to coordinate operations and make sure work remains on schedule. Tuesday 23 January marks 1,000 days until Expo 2020 begins.

In the statement, the body responsible for delivering Expo 2020 said construction work related to the project is likely to peak early next year, when about 35,000 people will be on site. Currently, about 12,000 workers are on site.

Laing O'Rourke is already working in an area adjacent to the Expo site after picking up a contract announced in November 2016 to build a shopping mall, car parking and two hotels for a joint venture between Emaar Properties and Dubai World Trade Centre at Dubai South.

The two pavilions it is building directly on the Expo 2020 site will also be converted into hotels once the six-month long Expo 2020 event concludes in April 2021.

(Writing by Michael Fahy; Editing by Anoop Menon)

(michael.fahy@thomsonreuters.com)

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