BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN:

LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Copyright 2015 IQPC Middle East. All rights reserved.

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BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES
Produced by IQPC Middle East in association with the Bridges and Highways Oman event taking place in September 2015 in Muscat, Oman.

Current Projects
Planned/Under
Construction
Muscat Municipality Road
Interchange Project

Omans infrastructure
is on the verge of
a huge expansion
worth of $78 billion of
investment of which
the majority will be
allocated to transport
networks such as
road projects, bridge
structures, tunnel
constructions and
national railways
being developed over
the next 5 years.

The Middle East is experiencing a

construction boom as its respective
governments look to expand and
upgrade their nations transport
infrastructure for economic,
environmental and social welfare
reasons. Omans infrastructure is
on the verge of a huge expansion
worth of $78 billion of investment of
which the majority will be allocated
to transport networks such as road
projects, bridge structures, tunnel
constructions and national railways
being developed over the next 5
years.
These projects are an essential
part of the 9th five year plan of the
Supreme Council for Planning (SPC),
which has a long-term strategic
focus on diversifying sources of
national economy in order to improve
the welfare of Omans citizens,
increase their social benefits and
enhance the contribution of private
sector to the countrys GDP.
As the scale of these transport
infrastructure projects increases
so do the challenges involved in
making them a reality. Bridges are
an essential element of the road and
rail network expansions planned in
Oman as the projects call for the
navigation of difficult terrain types
including deep valleys and wadis.

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A network of bridges is being

constructed in accordance with
global standards, and the existing
roundabout will be removed and
replaced by four-way crossroads
controlled by traffic signals. The
project includes construction of
a new bridge over the existing
bridge towards Seeb, as well as
construction of another bridge
parallel to the existing one to serve
those coming from Ruwi to Wadi
Adai. Muscat Municipality
This significant project aims to
solve the perennial traffic problems
experienced in the Omani capital of
Muscat through a series of flyovers
and interchanges that have been
designed to ease the flow of traffic
along key routes. Critical works
include the Wadi Adai interchange,
Amerat-Wadi Adai road, Darsait-Wadi
Kabirand the recently completed
Amerat-Bausher road and the
Southern Expressway.
The completion of two major
bridges will be an essential part of
this ongoing project: A steel bridge
above the existing flyover at the
Wadi Adai junction and another to
ease traffic from the Ruwi side of
the flyover flowing into the Amerat
highway. 1
In addition, six new pedestrian
bridges are planned in order to
improve public safety and further
ease urban congestion with easier
access on foot to key areas of the
capital.2
1Muscat Daily, Massive Road Expansion Projects

Underway, 18/11/2012

2Times of Oman, Pedestrians safety to get bridges

boost in Muscat, 18/11/2014

BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Batinah Expressway

Oman National Railway

High Speed Network
The Oman Railway Company (ORC)
has envisaged the creation of a new
freight and passenger network with
future scope for high-speed rail. The
route will connect Omans centres of
population and growth-drivers and
will also be part of a regional Gulf rail
network.
With an estimated total length of
2,135km, the network will be divided
into several segments: one linking
Omans borders with the UAE and
another servicing the southern parts
of the Sultanate such as the port of
Al Duqm, Salalah and the Yemen
border.
Construction will be carried out
in three phases. The first phase
comprises a 230km link from Sohar
to Muscat. The second phase is a
560km line from Muscat to Duqm.
The third phase involves extending
the line from Duqm to Salalah.
Ultimately, the networks construction
should be completed by 2018 at an
estimated cost of $15 billion.3

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The eight-lane Batinah Expressway

is one of the cornerstones of
the Ministry of Transport and
Communications long-term
strategy for improving connectivity
with Omans neighbours as well
as simplifying access between
its provinces. Its completion will
significantly ease traffic flow rates
around the Muscat-Dubai border,
reducing the average journey time
between the two cities by at least an
hour.
The construction work on the
carriageway has been split into six
separate segments of which the
second segment is perhaps the most
challenging as it involves overcoming
10km of challenging sand dunes.
Kishore Kumar Tiriveedhi, Head
of Oman Operations, Nagarjuna
Construction Company said in
regards to this section:

The Oman Railway

Company (ORC)
has envisaged the
creation of a new
freight and passenger
network with future
scope for high-speed
rail. The route will
connect Omans
centres of population
and growth-drivers
and will also be part
of a regional Gulf rail
network.

Other packages do not have such

an issue. Also, there are 12 million
cubic metres of earth work, which
include cutting and filling.4
This section will also require the
construction of seven wadi bridges
and three major overpasses. The
overall completion of the expressway
is expected to occur by May 2017 at
an estimated cost of $2.6 billion.5
3Construction Week Online, GCC invests $106bn in

rail projects, 16/05/2012

4Times of Oman, Omans 8-lane Batinah Expressway

to be ready by 2017, 30/11/2014

5Ventures on site, 12 companies submit bids for Al

Batinah Expressway packages 7 to 9, 12/01/2015

BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

New technologies,
Materials and
Bridge Construction
Techniques

The main advantage

of these materials
for the region is that
they are very durable
and dont corrode
as steel does with
the regions high
humidity, heat and
salty sands. These
structures are always
under attack from the
environment.
Dr Ghassan Ziadat, Atkins
Regional Director Planning and
Infrastructure

Green Building Materials

including Ground
Granulated Blast Furnace
Slag (GGBFS)
As the whole of the Middle East
takes its cue from the UAE in
promoting sustainable, green
building practices, the use of
construction materials that have a
reduced environmental impact are
being employed in Oman bridge
building projects.
One such green building material
is GGBFS, which is produced by
steam-quenching molten ironfrom
ablast furnace to produce aglassy,
granular material that is then dried
and ground into a fine powder. It
is now being employed in Middle
Eastern bridge construction
projects to provide up to 70% of
the cementitious content of the
structure, improving its durability and
increasing its lifespan by up to 100
years while simultaneously reducing
its ecological impact.6

Plastics and Fibre

Reinforced Polymer (FRP)
Materials
The main advantage of these
materials for the region is that they
are very durable and dont corrode
as steel does with the regions high
humidity, heat and salty sands.
These structures are always under
attack from the environment. Dr
Ghassan Ziadat, Atkins Regional
Director Planning and Infrastructure

FRP materials in combination

with traditional steel could prove
immeasurably useful for bridge
construction in the region resulting
in quicker build times, more durable
structures and lower long-term
maintenance costs. Atkins Dr Ziadat
has repeatedly highlighted the value
of such materials for their ability to
endure the harsh environmental
features of the region including high
humidity, heat and the erosive effect
of wind-whipped high-velocity sand
particles.7

Concrete Sensors
Concrete is the most widely used
building material in the Middle
Eastern construction market due
to its durable and cost-efficient
properties. However, judging the
hardening process has been
one of the perennial problems
for construction and engineering
companies in the region as
temperature and humidity variables
add to the challenge of an accurate
estimate. In bridge construction,
moving on to subsequent
construction phases before the
concrete has properly set can be
particularly calamitous.
Concrete sensors are an innovative
new technology that provide a
significant time and cost saving to
the company deploying them as
they as are placed directly into a
concrete structure after the pouring
process in order to measure nonstop
compressive strength evolution.
The sensors inform construction
site managers and decision makers
when the concrete has sufficiently
6Docslide, Bridges Middle East Q&A with Jama Al

Zarif, 21/01/2015

7IQPC, Bridges and Highways in the Middle East,

01/11/2014

While currently utilised in a limited

fashion in the GCC, the wholesale
use of advanced plastics and

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BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

hardened via their real-time internet

connection, enabling fast and
accurate decision making.
Doka, purveyor of Concremote
sensors to the Dubai Municipality,
estimate that implementation of their
product delivers a time saving of
47%, a cost saving of 32%, a quality
improvement of 55% and a total
business value increase of 40%.8

Slide-In Bridge
Construction (SIBC)
As hundreds of bridges throughout
the Middle East require repair or
replacement due to wear and tear
from vehicular and environmental
sources, traffic is often reduced to a
crawl when such construction and
repair works are being carried out.
Slide-In Bridge Construction (SIBC)
offers a cost-effective technique to
rapidly replace an existing bridge
while reducing impacts to mobility
and safety.
Using the SIBC technique allows for
a new bridge to be constructed on
temporary supports adjacent to the
existing bridge which can remain
open to traffic. Once construction
is complete, the road is closed,
the existing bridge structure is
demolished or slid to a staging area
for demolition, and the new bridge is
slid into its final, permanent location.9
This provides a significantly quicker
and more cost-effective alternative to
phased repair/construction work, lane
reductions or the use of temporary
bridges. Admittedly, SIBC requires a
short-term full closure of traffic during
the final phase of the lateral slide, but
research indicates that generally the
motorist population in the GCC prefer
the limited disruption of a single
short-term closure over the prospect
of long-term delays and frustrations
of a phased repair or replacement
project.10

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Securing Sustainable,
Durable Bridges with
the latest Technological
Approach
Respective governments and
transport authorities of countries in
the Middle East have formulated
bold and ambitious strategies for
the long-term improvement and
expansion of their road and rail
transport networks. The successful
implementation of these strategies
calls for the timely and responsible
construction of support infrastructure
including bridges that are larger and
more durable than any that have
been built before in the region.
Oman is no exception and in order
to facilitate the completion of the
expansive new road and railway
networks planned by the SPC,
construction firms involved in
building the required bridges are
adopting latest bridge design and
construction technologies as well
as a variety of advanced building
materials. This forward-thinking
approach will allow the resultant
structures to be built in a costeffective manner while they enjoy
heightened levels of durability and
environmental sustainability.

Slide-In Bridge
Construction (SIBC)
offers a cost-effective
technique to rapidly
replace an existing
bridge while reducing
impacts to mobility
and safety.

8IQPC, Bridges and Highways in the Middle East,

01/11/2014

9 FHA, Slide-in Bridge Construction Implementation

Guide, 12/12/2013

BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Sources:
http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/oman-seeks-bids-for-newrail-network
http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Oman/Massive-road-expansion-projectsunderway-1uaz
http://www.timesofoman.com/News/42933/Article-Pedestrians%E2%80%99safety-to-get-bridges-boost-in-Muscat
http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-17041-gcc-invests-106bn-inrail-projects/1/print/
http://www.timesofoman.com/News/43524/Article-Omans-8-lane-BatinahExpressway-to-be-ready-by-2017
https://www.venturesonsite.com/news/tag/batinah-expressway/
http://docslide.us/business/bridges-middle-east-q-a-with-jama-al-zarif.html
http://www.constructionweekonline.com/article-16664-the-relevance-ofinfrastructure/
https://www.zawya.com/story/Doka_debut_green_concrete_sensor_to_
Dubai_Municipality-ZAWYA20150602141213/
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/construction/sibc/pubs/sibc_guide.pdf

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BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES

Join the leading project owners, contractors, consultants, equipment suppliers and technology
providers from13-15 September 2015at theCrowne Plaza Muscat, Oman, and discuss
upcoming projects in Oman, strategies for bridge and highway project planning and best practices
for design and construction of transport infrastructure.
For more information or to register visit www.bridgeshighwaysoman.com or contact us at
[email protected] / +971 4 364 2975.

Copyright 2015 IQPC Middle East. All rights reserved.

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Publisher contact details: Shrutika Shetty | IQPC Middle East | [email protected]

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BRIDGE PROJECTS IN OMAN: LATEST TECHNOLOGIES AND CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES