Firms invited to bid for longest bridge

 

  

The main contractor for the world’s longest steel arch bridge over the Creek will either be from Japan, the United States, South Korea or China, said FXFOWLE – the architecture firm contracted to build the bridge.

 

The Dh2.5 billion crossing, which will be the sixth bridge over the Creek commissioned by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), will link Jadaf and Business Bay with the planned Lagoons development and Dubai Festival City and will be built of steel.

 

New York-based FXFOWLE won the tender to design the structure following an open invitation.

 

And the RTA has now invited selected construction companies to express interest in the contract to build the sixth Creek bridge.

 

Steven W Miller of FXFOWLE International told Emirates Business that the bridge will be totally built of steel and when completed will be one of the largest steel structures in the world.

 

“To build the bridge, we first need to erect two 250 metres high temporary towers. The dead weight of the structure will be more than the total number of vehicles the bridge can hold at one time. That is why we decided to design the bridge in such a way that it could be built entirely of steel,” said Miller.

 

He said only major contracting companies in either Japan, Korea, China or the United States have the necessary infrastructure to carry out such a project. “Only they have the necessary equipment and the cranes required to build the structure,” said Miller.

 

Construction work on the project, originally scheduled to have started this month, is expected to start soon after the contracts are awarded.

 

The sixth crossing will be the world’s longest arch bridge and will cover a distance of 1.6km, linking Al Jaddaf in Bur Dubai with a road separating The Lagoon and Dubai Festival City.

 

The design has been approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The bridge, with a 205-metre high, 607-metre long arch, will be able to carry more than 20,000 vehicles per hour in each direction, said the company.

 

The Green Line of Dubai Metro will run along the centre and a Metro station will also be constructed on the crossing, along with a water transport station below it.

 

On completion, the bridge will overtake the Lupu Bridge in Shanghai as the longest steel arch bridge in the world.

 

The project will be completed in six different phases over a period of four years.

 

It will include the construction of a 12km road network and 22 intersections leading on and off the span.

 

The bridge will help to serve developments such as the Dubai Healthcare City, Sama Al Jaddaf and Culture Village on the Bur Dubai side, and in Deira it will serve Dubai Festival City, The Lagoons, International City and Dubai Design Centre.

 

FXFOWLE recently released design images of the new bridge, which, according to reports, was inspired by “the rhythmic grace of Dubai Creek’s current, the elegant splendour of the sand dunes adjacent to the city, the lighting patterns of the lunar cycle and the design of the future Opera House”.

 

FXFOWLE said nine architects will work on the project during its various phases.