Skip to main content

Kuwait causeway connection construction complete

Kuwait’s innovative Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway connection is now complete and open to traffic. Measuring 48.5km in all, the new causeway comprises the 36.1km Subiyah Link and the 12.4km Doha Link, making this the world’s fourth longest bridge. Dar’s worked as lead consultant on the project working alongside Dar Group sister companies TY Lin International, Ross & Baruzzini and Currie & Brown. Dar was the Engineer’s Representative and the construction supervisor, as well as leading detailed desi
May 20, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Kuwait’s novel causeway project is both innovative and effective

Kuwait’s innovative Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway connection is now complete and open to traffic. Measuring 48.5km in all, the new causeway comprises the 36.1km Subiyah Link and the 12.4km Doha Link, making this the world’s fourth longest bridge.

Dar’s worked as lead consultant on the project working alongside Dar Group sister companies 3355 TY Lin International, Ross & Baruzzini and Currie & Brown. Dar was the Engineer’s Representative and the construction supervisor, as well as leading detailed design review on transportation, GIS, environmental, geotechnical and marine works.

Dar’s brief from for Kuwait’s Public Authority for Roads & Transportation (PART) was to ensure a 100-year service life in a challenging coastal marine environment.

The Causeway facilitates development of the border region of Subiyah, which will be the site of a major free-trade zone, Madinat al-Hareer or Silk City, reviving Kuwait’s place on the ancient Silk Route. Land areas of 350,000m2 and 600,000m2 have been reclaimed at either end of the Causeway, while two artificial islands of 300,000m2 each have been constructed along its length.

The Causeway carries dual carriageways, each with a total width of 17m and carrying three lanes of traffic, an emergency lane and a hard shoulder. The main section reduces the journey time from Kuwait City to Subiyah from 70 minutes to 20 minutes. The subsidiary link to Doha (Kuwait) and the Kuwait Entertainment City reduces journey times from 30 minutes to 7 minutes.

A cable-stayed bridge in the main section creates a navigation channel 120m wide and 23m high to enable access to Kuwait’s Doha port. This opening in the Causeway is supported by a 151m-high pylon, inspired in its shape by a traditional sailboat, but unconventional in its engineering.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Golden route to success
    July 20, 2012
    Built in 1937 and still the ninth longest suspension bridge in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge across San Francisco Bay remains in fine shape despite its age - Andrew Bardin Williams writes The Golden Gate Bridge turned 75 years old on May 27 and continues to play a key role in the transportation, engineering, construction and ITS communities. The structure has played an important historical role, an engineering success that boosted the economy of the region. And it also led the way as the first major pub
  • New Angolan bridge offers improved connectivity
    September 30, 2013
    Drivers in Angola are benefiting from a bridge that spans the Catumbela River, taking the place of an old structure that had proven not fit for purpose. The US$35 million cable stayed bridge is located in the highway between Benguela and Lobito, around 7km from Angola’s Atlantic coast and is one of a series of new infrastructure developments in the country. Angola suffered a long period of war that impacted on its people and infrastructure. The war resulted in severe damage to the country’s road system alon
  • Realigning Kenyan bypass to avoid quagmire and ease congestion
    March 22, 2012
    Japanese consultants are planning to realign a Kenyan bypass, as Shem Oirere reports. Japanese consultants are resolving an engineering quagmire involving a 17.5km bypass in Kenya's Coast region. The new design realigning the bypass is underway by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) consultants. The road is an alternative link from the hinterland to the south coast and to the proposed Dongo Kundu Port. The 23m-wide bypass would also serve to reduce traffic congestion across the Likoni Channel.
  • Realigning Kenyan bypass to avoid quagmire and ease congestion
    March 21, 2012
    Japanese consultants are planning to realign a Kenyan bypass, as Shem Oirere reports. Japanese consultants are resolving an engineering quagmire involving a 17.5km bypass in Kenya's Coast region. The new design realigning the bypass is underway by Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) consultants. The road is an alternative link from the hinterland to the south coast and to the proposed Dongo Kundu Port. The 23m-wide bypass would also serve to reduce traffic congestion across the Likoni Channel t