meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

The region’s most ambitious causeway projects

8 February 2023

 

The submission of feedback questionnaires and meetings with contractors for the planned second causeway connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is the latest sign of potential progress on one of the region’s largest infrastructure projects.

Causeways have a chequered history in the region. The first causeway connecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain was completed during the 1980s, and since then, it has had a transformative impact on the Bahraini economy. 

The project’s success has inspired other causeways. But while these schemes remain ambitions for many in the region, construction progress has been limited. The hope is that a successful second causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain will foster the delivery of other longstanding causeway plans.

These are the most ambitious causeway schemes that the region has planned:

 Second Saudi Arabia-Bahrain causeway

The second causeway between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain is the most likely to proceed. Planned by the King Fahd Causeway Authority, the $3.5bn project, which has been called the King Hamad Causeway project, is moving towards construction.

In 2021, senior government officials in Bahrain told MEED that the project was progressing towards tendering as financial studies had been completed.

The project was included in Bahrain’s $30bn Strategic Projects Plan that was announced later in 2021. As well as the causeway, the plan includes building new urban areas on five reclaimed islands to increase the country’s total land area by 60 per cent. It also comprises plans for a new airport.

The second causeway involves building a 25-kilometre road and rail crossing linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. It will follow the same alignment as the existing King Fahd Causeway.

It has been earmarked for delivery on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. The King Fahd Causeway Authority appointed a consortium to provide transaction advisory services in late 2019.

The $8.9m consultancy agreement was signed with a consortium of Netherlands-headquartered KPMG, US-based Aecom and UK-based CMS. The team was tasked with working on developing the financing model, the required engineering specifications and design, as well as helping with the assessment and selection of the project’s developers.

Canada-based SNC Lavalin and UK-based consultancy firm PwC conducted the project due diligence study in 2017.

The existing King Fahd Causeway is operating at capacity. About 11.5 million cars cross the causeway every year, and the growth has been 6 per cent per annum over the past 10 years.

 Qatar-Bahrain causeway

There have also been suggestions that the proposed causeway bridging Bahrain and Qatar may be revived. In March 2022, Manama called for work to restart on the causeway joining the two countries.

“We in the Kingdom of Bahrain renew the call for the start of bilateral talks between the two sides in accordance with the mechanisms agreed upon in the Al-Ula statement,” said Bahrain’s undersecretary for land transportation and post in an official statement published by the official Bahrain News Agency.

The estimated $4bn Qatar-Bahrain causeway project was put on hold and the contracting consortium demobilised in 2010.

A joint venture of state-owned developer Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and French contractor Vinci Construction Grand Projets led the consortium. The other consortium members were Germany’s Hochtief, Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), Dredging International from Belgium and the local Middle East Dredging Company (Medco).

The planned 40km bridge includes a four-lane motor crossing scheduled for completion in 2013 and two railway lines forming part of the GCC rail network.

The project also comprises 22km of bridges and viaducts, 18km of embankments and two 400-metre cable-stayed bridges. The causeway connects Ras Ashairij on the west coast of Qatar to Askar on the east coast of Bahrain.

The project was also known as the Friendship Bridge and was to be jointly funded by the Qatari and Bahraini governments, which intended to recover some of the construction costs by implementing a toll system on the bridge.

The crossing would cut the journey time between the two countries, which currently involves a detour through Saudi Arabia, from five hours to just 30 minutes.

 Saudi Arabia-Egypt causeway

The prospects for the causeway connecting the $500bn Neom project in Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula across the Straits of Tiran improved last year after US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia.

After the visit, a joint communique issued by Washington and Riyadh referred to the development of Tiran Island.

“President Biden welcomed the arrangements by Saudi Arabia to remove the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO) from the Island of Tiran, including the removal of US troops there as part of the MFO mission, while preserving and continuing all existing commitments and procedures in the area,” it said. 

“This area of the Red Sea will now be developed for tourism and economic purposes, contributing to a more secure, peaceful and prosperous region.” 

The US-Egyptian-Israeli-backed MFO was founded in 1981 to oversee the terms of the 1978 Camp David Accords, which included the full Israeli withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula.

In 2016, Egypt and Saudi Arabia agreed during a state visit to Cairo by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to develop a causeway linking the two countries across the Red Sea. 

The agreement was made as part of a broader deal that would also involve Egypt ceding the sovereignty of the two Tiran islands to Saudi Arabia.

While details of the proposed crossing were never revealed at the time, it was understood to be a revival of a $4bn project announced in 2011. That scheme involved building a 32km crossing stretching over the Straits of Tiran from Ras Humaid in Tabuk, in the northern region of Saudi Arabia, to Ras Nasrani, close to the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Plans to link Saudi Arabia and Egypt are far from new. The development of a causeway was first mooted as far back as 1988. However, the idea has received additional focus in recent years following the launch of the Neom development in northwestern Saudi Arabia, which includes Ras Humaid. Part of the Neom scheme, the 170km-long linear city known as The Line, will extend from the promontory inland to the city of Tabuk.

UK-based Arup was reported to have been selected in 2019 for the next stage of the feasibility study for the causeway. 

Saudi Arabia was understood to be considering using a public-private partnership (PPP) model for the scheme, similar to other transport projects planned in and around the kingdom.

 Yemen-Djibouti causeway

A 28.5km causeway was planned to connect Yemen and Djibouti before the scheme was put on hold in 2010 until the governments of both countries signed the framework agreement for the project. The civil war in Yemen means it is unlikely the scheme will make any progress soon.

The estimated $20bn first phase involved building the link between the Yemeni mainland to the island of Perim in the Red Sea. Phase two would have then connected Perim with Djibouti.

The wider project also involves building two cities at each end of the link. The total investment required to construct the cities and the bridge is $200bn.

Dubai-based Al-Noor Holding Investment Company was developing the project.

In 2009, the company said it expected to award a build-operate-transfer contract for the first phase of the bridge and that three companies had expressed interest in funding and building the road and rail link. Denmark’s Cowi prepared the preliminary design for the crossing.

 UAE-Qatar causeway

In 2005, Abu Dhabi and Doha were reported to have been setting up a joint company to oversee the implementation of the proposed UAE/Qatar causeway.

The 40km causeway was expected to start near Sila in Abu Dhabi emirate and extend to the south of Doha.

The estimated $13bn crossing would have significantly cut journey times. At present, traffic between Qatar and the UAE has to pass through 125km of Saudi Arabian territory.

The scheme stalled shortly afterwards. Problems included difficulties with the route, which ran through Saudi Arabian territorial waters.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/10571464/main.jpg
Colin Foreman

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Decision imminent on Dubai sewerage tunnel contracts

    24 April 2026

     

    A final decision on the first two packages of the flagship Dubai Strategic Sewerage Tunnels (DSST) project is imminent, with two remaining bidders having submitted best and final offers. 

    The AED80bn ($22bn) public-private partnership (PPP) scheme comprises three packages: J, W and Links.

    According to a source, two consortiums led by Etihad Water & Electricity (UAE) and Vision Invest (Saudi Arabia) were recently invited to submit final bids for packages J and W, which were tendered last November.

    The winning consortium is expected to be formally confirmed in the coming weeks once the required approval process is completed, the source said.

    MEED had previously reported that three consortiums were bidding for the project, which is being procured by Dubai Municipality’s sewerage and recycled water projects department.

    These included:

    • Consortium 1: Led by Plenary Group (Australia) alongside Itochu (Japan) and Infrastructure Holding (UAE) 
    • Consortium 2: Led by Vision Invest (Saudi Arabia) alongside Suez Water Company (France)
    • Consortium 3: Led by Etihad Water & Electricity (UAE) alongside Tamasuk Holding (Saudi Arabia) and Alkhorayef Water & Power (Saudi Arabia)

    It is understood that the consortium led by Pleneray Group has since been dropped from consideration for the contract.

    As MEED previously reported, the bid packages include equity partners, an appointed operator and a construction contractor.

    Of the bidders still in contention, MEED understands that Vision Invest plans to act as operator for that consortium, while Suez will lead construction.

    In the other consortium, EtihadWE plans to take the operator role, with construction led by France’s Veolia.

    Large-scale sewerage network

    The DSST masterplan project covers the construction of two sets of deep tunnels terminating at pump stations at Warsan and Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). It also includes over 200 kilometres of sewer links.

    Construction work was previously categorised in multiple packages under the Warsan Strategic Tunnel Scheme (Package W) and the Jebel Ali Strategic Sewerage Scheme (J1 North, J2 South, J3 Jebel Ali Links).

    These packages have now been restructured and renamed.

    The bid submission deadline for the third 'Phase 2 Links' package, meanwhile, was recently extended.

    The new deadline is June 30. 

    The three packages are being procured under 30-year design, build, finance, operate and maintain concession models.

    The DSST project aims to convert Dubai’s sewerage system from a pumped network to a gravity-based system, enabling the emirate to replace existing sewage pumping stations and meet long-term capacity needs.

    The programme also marks the first time the municipality will implement In-Country Value (ICV), a local content programme that promotes economic benefits.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16536060/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Dubai scales up its metro ambitions

    23 April 2026

     

    Dubai’s rail sector has rarely seen such a concentrated burst of procurement activity as it has in the past year.

    Within the space of a few months, Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has moved simultaneously on three distinct fronts: tendering design consultancy for the Route 2020 extension that will connect the Expo 2020 metro station to Al-Maktoum International airport; inviting study-and-design bids for a 55-kilometre Airport Express Line linking Dubai International airport to Al-Maktoum International airport; and culminating in Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum’s approval of the AED34bn ($9.2bn) Gold Line, a 42km fully underground route that the emirate is calling the largest transportation project in its history.

    These projects form a key part of the Dubai Rail Network Plan 2032, which outlines the development of six public transportation schemes comprising a mix of metro, passenger and high-speed rail lines.

    The most prominent feature of the plan is the addition of new lines to Dubai Metro’s existing network, representing a systematic effort to support the shift of Dubai’s economic centre of gravity towards Dubai South and the vast development corridors in between.

    The city is also seeking to stay ahead of the curve by investing heavily in infrastructure. Data from regional projects tracker MEED Projects shows that the emirate has awarded over $14bn-worth of transport projects in the past two years alone, with several other multibillion-dollar schemes still moving through the planning stages.

    All of this work is being carried out in line with the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, which forecasts the emirate’s population will reach 5.8 million by 2040 – a clear indication of the scale of daily movement the city must accommodate.

    Project progress

    Dubai Metro Gold Line

    On 21 April, Sheikh Mohammed officially announced the launch of the new AED34bn ($9.2bn) Gold Line project.

    The line will be a fully underground network spanning over 42 kilometres, with 18 stations.

    It will run from Al-Ghubaiba in Bur Dubai to Jumeirah Golf Estates.

    The Gold Line will connect with Dubai Metro’s existing Red and Green lines and integrate with the Etihad Rail passenger network.

    In October last year, MEED exclusively reported that the RTA had selected US-based engineering firm Aecom to provide consultancy services for the project.

    Stage one covers concept design; stage two, preliminary design; stage three, preparation of tender documents; stage four, construction supervision; and stage five, the defects liability period.

    Airport Express Line

    Procurement has started for another metro line extending from Dubai International airport (DXB) in Al-Garhoud to Al-Maktoum International airport (DWC) in Jebel Ali.

    Earlier this month, the RTA invited consultants to bid for a contract to study and design what is referred to as the Airport Express Line.

    The proposed line will stretch about 55km and include five stations that will provide passengers with facilities such as remote airline check-in, baggage drop-off and security screening.

    The new line will run from the Red Line metro station at DXB through Al-Jaddaf, along Al-Khail Road to a new station at Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), before continuing on to DWC.

    There will be two spur lines. The first will run from the new JVC station to Al-Fardan Exchange metro station at Emirates Golf Club, while the second will branch toward Business Bay, where another station will be built.

    Expo 2020 route extension

    Dubai is also undertaking the Route 2020 extension of its metro system, which will start from the Expo 2020 metro station and connect with Al-Maktoum International airport’s West Terminal.

    Consultants submitted their bids earlier this month for the design contract.

    The extension will run for about 3km and feature two stations.

    The existing Route 2020 metro link is a 15km line that branches off the Red Line at Jebel Ali metro station. The line comprises 11.8km of elevated tracks and 3.2km of tunnels, and has five elevated stations and two underground stations.

    Dubai Metro Blue Line extension

    Construction progress on the Dubai Metro Blue Line extension is expected to reach 30% by the end of 2026, according to official accounts.

    In December 2024, the RTA awarded a AED20.5bn ($5.5bn) main contract for the construction of the project.

    The contract was awarded to a consortium of Turkiye’s Limak Holding, Mapa Group, also of Turkiye, and the Hong Kong office of China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC).

    The Blue Line will connect the existing Red and Green lines. It will be 30km long, with 15.5km underground and 14.5km above ground.

    The line will have 14 stations, seven of which will be elevated. There will be five underground stations, including one interchange station, and two elevated transfer stations connected to the existing Centrepoint and Creek stations.

    The project is scheduled for completion in September 2029.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534887/main.png
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Contractors form teams for Bab Gas Cap main plant project

    23 April 2026

     

    Contractors have formed consortiums to participate in the main tendering exercise for a major project involving the development of infrastructure to process incremental gas output arising from the unlocking of gas caps at the Bab onshore hydrocarbons development in Abu Dhabi.

    As part of its 2030 upstream production increase goals, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Group) is working to extract gas from four underdeveloped gas cap reservoirs at the Bab onshore field development – Thammama A, Thammama B, Thammama F and Thammama H. While the Thammama A, B and H reservoirs are estimated to collectively produce 1.45 billion cubic feet a day (cf/d) of gas, output from the Thammama F gas cap is expected to be at a rate of 396 million cf/d.

    Existing trains at the Habshan processing complex in Abu Dhabi will be unable to handle the new gas volumes. Therefore, Adnoc Group subsidiary, Adnoc Gas, is required to build new facilities to process an additional volume of up to 1.85 billion cf/d of raw gas when its parent company starts production from the Bab gas caps.

    Adnoc Gas is planning to build a gas processing plant in the Bab area, about 170 kilometres from Abu Dhabi, along with associated pipeline networks and other ancillary units, as part of the broader Bab gas cap development project. It has divided the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) scope of work on the project into four packages:

    • EPC package 1 – Main Bab gas cap plant
    • EPC package 2 – Early civil works
    • EPC package 3 – Pipelines
    • EPC package 4 – Non-process area works

    Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange-listed Adnoc Gas issued an expression of interest (EoI) document to contractors for the main EPC tendering process for the main Bab gas cap plant on 10 February. The company had set an initial EoI submission deadline of 17 February, which it later extended until 20 February, with contractors submitting responses by that date, MEED previously reported.

    Following the completion of the prequalification phase, contractors that expressed interest formed the following teams to compete in the main contract tendering round, according to sources:

    • Larsen & Toubro Energy Hydrocarbon (India) + Samsung E&A (South Korea)
    • Saipem (Italy) + NMDC Energy (UAE)
    • Technip Energies (France) + JGC Corporation (Japan) + Sinopec (China)
    • Tecnimont (Italy) + China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC)

    Adnoc Gas is expected to issue the main EPC tender for the central Bab gas plant in May, sources told MEED.

    The other three packages remain in the main contract tendering stages, the sources said.

    Prior to issuing the EoIs for the Bab gas cap development project packages, Adnoc Gas completed an early engagement process with contractors in September and October last year, as MEED previously reported.

    In December last year, Adnoc Gas awarded the front-end engineering and design (feed) works for the Bab gas cap development project, which will increase its gas processing capacity by about 20%, to Australia-based consultancy Worley. The feed contract has a duration of more than 1.2 million man-hours, making it the largest-ever engineering job awarded by Adnoc Gas.

    Adnoc Gas currently has a capital expenditure (capex) commitment of $20bn for the 2023-29 period, which is on course to increase to about $28bn as the company strives to achieve final investment decisions (FID) on the second and third phases of its rich gas development programme this year.

    The first phase of the RGD project is under construction. Adnoc Gas awarded $5bn-worth of engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) contracts in three tranches for phase one of the RGD last June – the company’s largest-ever capital investment.

    The second and third phases involve building a natural gas liquids fractionation train at the Ruwais gas processing facility and a new gas processing train at the Habshan complex, respectively, Peter Van Driel, the company’s chief financial officer, had earlier told journalists on a call.

    MEED, in March, reported that Adnoc Gas had selected main EPC contractors for both the Ruwais NGL Train 5 and the Habshan 7 gas processing train projects, which are estimated to be valued at around $4bn each. Adnoc Gas is yet to officially award the EPC contracts for the two projects.

    Adnoc Gas’ capex commitment could exceed $30bn when the company achieves FID on the Bab gas cap development project, which is currently expected later this year, Van Driel previously said.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534391/main0115.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Sports Boulevard tenders Wadi Hanifa road works

    23 April 2026

     

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Saudi Arabia’s Sports Boulevard Foundation has issued a tender inviting firms to bid for a contract to build a road and associated infrastructure in the Wadi Hanifa area of Riyadh.

    The bid submission deadline is 27 April.

    The scope includes construction of an 11.4-kilometre road and associated infrastructure, including public realm works, utilities and security systems.

    The scheme is the latest package to progress on Riyadh’s Sports Boulevard project.

    The Sports Boulevard Foundation is also evaluating bids for its Global Sports Tower in the development’s Athletics District.

    The 130-metre-tall Global Sports Tower will have a gross floor area of 84,000 square metres (sq m) and will include more than 30 sports facilities. The tower will feature what is billed as the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall, at 98 metres, and a 250-metre running track.

    Sports Boulevard will run across Riyadh from east to west. Once complete, it is intended to be the world’s longest park, stretching more than 135 kilometres.

    The project is divided into multiple districts, including the Wadi Hanifah, Arts, Urban Wadi, Entertainment, Athletics and Eco districts, as well as Sands Sports Park.

    The large-scale development aims to transform central Riyadh – currently dominated by major highways – into a recreational corridor.

    Sports Boulevard will include 4.4 million sq m of public realm and landmark buildings. Along with the Global Sports Tower, there will be a Centre for Cinematic Arts and a 2,000-seat amphitheatre.

    It will also deliver more than 2.3 million sq m of mixed-use commercial, residential and retail space, alongside sports facilities, around the park, known as the Linear Park.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534345/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Masdar to develop renewables projects in Montenegro

    23 April 2026

    Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) have agreed to establish a 50:50 joint venture to develop and operate renewable energy projects in Montenegro.

    The planned projects include solar photovoltaic (PV), wind, hydropower, pumped-hydro storage and battery energy storage systems.

    The joint venture will be headquartered in Niksic in western Montenegro and is intended to support Montenegro’s domestic energy needs while also enabling the export of renewable electricity to the Western Balkans and Southern Europe, Masdar said in a statement.

    The companies plan to leverage an existing sub-sea interconnection with Italy. Montenegro is connected to Italy via a 600MW HVDC submarine cable, enabling electricity exports to the Italian market.

    Masdar has an existing presence in Montenegro through its investment in the 72MW Krnovo wind farm.

    The developer has recently accelerated foreign investment plans as part of its broader expansion. In April, it signed a binding agreement with France’s TotalEnergies to establish a $2.2bn joint venture to develop, build and operate renewable energy projects across Asia.

    The combined business will have 3GW of operational capacity and 6GW of projects in advanced development, targeted for commissioning by 2030.

    Masdar is targeting a global renewable energy portfolio of 100GW by 2030. It recently reached 65GW, two-thirds of the way to that target.

    The company plans to deploy an additional $30bn-$35bn in equity and project finance by 2030, adding an average of 10GW of new capacity each year.

    This expansion will be funded through a mix of equity, green bonds and long-term project financing.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/16534112/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall