TRSDC and ARCHIRODON complete installation of last connecting piece for crucial Shura Bridge project
1.2km bridge will connect project’s hub island of Shura to the mainland across the Al Wajh lagoon
The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) has said the last connecting piece of Shura Bridge has been installed, creating a 1.2km connection from the project’s hub island, Shura, to the mainland across the Al Wajh lagoon.
In a conversation with Middle East Construction News, TRSDC said the bridge has been designed and built with sustainability in mind, with near zero drainage discharge into the lagoon during the build. Multiple monitoring buoys were strategically sited to alert any breakthrough from surface booms to prevent sediment movement from piling activities. The developer awarded the D&B contract to ARCHIRODON in June 2021.
Furthermore, the contractor ensured the reuse of temporary materials, such as causeway rock armour, to minimise wastage, while over 90% of the concrete was precast, minimising the likelihood of in-situ concreting environmental issues. Cement replacement was used throughout, it added.
Keeping in mind the marine ecosystem around the site, TRSDC and ARCHIRODON said that the bridge location was optimised to minimise dredging and the need for coral relocation.
In addition, the bridge will have two small 36m sections at each end of the crossing, to allow for the movement of marine mammals. Part of the beautification plans for the causeway will include species selected for conversation, such as mangroves.
“We took an early decision during master planning in 2018 that our ‘hub’ island, Shura, should have an umbilical connection to the coast that would enable us to route our guests, utilities and logistics. We established a route with the lowest environmental impact and used causeways in shallow water then a 1km bridge section over waters of 3m and deeper,” said Ian Williamson, Chief Projects Delivery Officer at The Red Sea Development Company.
He added, “We also have two small bridges, one at either end of the causeway section, that are only for marine movement and to prevent longshore drift.”
He added, “ARCHIRODON has completed both causeway sections, the bridges and the utilities corridor, and our next layer of work is to make the bridge pedestrian friendly with a garden corridor.”
The Shura Bridge is a key piece of infrastructure being delivered as part of Phase One of The Red Sea Project. The project has demonstrated significant progress on the ground, with Phase One now more than 50% complete and several key assets already fully operational, including a four-star management hotel, on-site offices, and the largest landscape nursery in the region.
Over 800 contracts have been awarded, worth in excess of USD$5.32bn. When combined with AMAALA contracts, circa $7.99bn worth of contracts are in the marketplace. Work is on track to welcome the first guests in early 2023, when the first hotels will open, the developer added.
Upon completion in 2030, The Red Sea Project will comprise of 50 resorts, offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include an international airport, luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment, and leisure facilities.
Early in June 2022, Mammoet said that it had begun the installation of 60 pre-cast bridge-beam and edge-beam segments on piers, using a floating crane in the latest phase of the Shura bridge project.
The company proposed the method after being contacted by marine contracting specialist, ARCHIRODAN who initially wanted to install the bridge using SPMTs on a barge and suspension cylinders to lift and lower segments.
The alternative method allows the contractor to build the bridge faster by installing one section a day instead of one in two days, while providing increased flexibility and accuracy, the company said.
In May 2022, Marriott and TRSDC inked a deal to debut the Ritz-Carlton Reserve brand in the region, in the same month, Big Project Middle East was given a behind the scenes look at the construction of the overwater villas, which will be located on the uninhabited Sheybarah Island at The Red Sea Project.
