Not sure if there's been a thread about this yet, but came across an interesting article today stating plans to bridge the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti.

Anybody else heard of this development/know if it's a legitimate and possible idea?

http://enr.construction.com/news/intl/archives/070501.asp

http://enr.construction.com/images2/2007/05/070502-redsea.jpg

http://enr.construction.com/images2/2007/05/070502-12B.jpg

Yemen in talks to build bridge to Africa

SANAA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Yemen is in talks with a Dubai-based company to build a 14-km (8.7 miles) bridge across the Red Sea to the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti, a Yemeni official said on Tuesday.

A UAE newspaper said the project, estimated to cost $1 billion, could be launched within two months, though it was not immediately clear when it would be completed.

"The company and the government are still in negotiations," a senior Yemeni government official told Reuters.

"This project, if implemented, will be a main gate between Africa and Asia. It is crucial for trade and tourism."

UAE newspaper al-Bayan cited unnamed officials on Tuesday as saying that Dubai-based Middle East Development company was discussing the bridge project with both Djibouti and Yemen, an Arab country on the southwestern edge of the Arabian peninsula.

It said the project would span Yemen's Red Sea island of Perim across the strait of Bab al-Mandib to Djibouti.

As well as a motorway to carry cars and trucks, the bridge will include a railway track which will be used to transport goods imported from Russia, India and China to Africa, it said.

Bin Laden bridge to span continents
The Sunday Times
23 July 2007

A HALF-BROTHER of Osama bin Laden is lobbying investors to build a 27km bridge that would be the longest in the world, connecting the continents of Asia and Africa -- in the hope that it would rehabilitate his family name.

Known as "the bridge of the century", it would stretch between Yemen and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

It would include a motorway and rail links, and two luxury cities would be built on either side of the Red Sea.

Sheikh Tarek Mohammed bin Laden, 60, has so far won backing and pledges of land from the presidents of both countries after shuttling between the capitals in his private jet in recent weeks, outlining his plans.

Tarek shares the same father as the leader of al-Qa'ida, who is 10 years his junior, but they have different mothers. Mohammed, their late Yemen-born father, who emigrated to Saudi Arabia and founded a giant construction empire, is said to have had 22 wives and 55 children.

Mr bin Laden, described by a business colleague as "very intelligent, with a lot of charisma", is reticent about his half-brother, saying only that he has had no contact with him and has no knowledge of his whereabouts. He runs the Saudi-based Bin Laden Group, a construction conglomerate that manages Mecca's holy sites, among a host of other interests.

In an interview posted on the project's website, he talked of his vision, saying the city to be built on the Djibouti coast and called Madinat al Noor (City of Light) would create 100,000 jobs and stretch more than 970sqkm.

The bridge, spanning the strait of Bab el Mandeb (Gate of Tears), which owes its name to its perilous waters, would take nine years to build and cost $23.4billion.

Designs show a 3.2km viaduct from the Yemeni coast to the island of Perim, where it passes for another 3.2km before a final 21km stretch to Ras Siyyan in Djibouti. This will have as its centrepiece a 12.8km suspension bridge towering above the sea. Up to 100,000 cars and 50,000 train passengers a day would be able to cross one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

For Mr bin Laden, there is a matter of personal pride at stake.

"One of the reasons Tarek is interested in the bridge project is that he wants to rehabilitate the name bin Laden. But his involvement might be a problem for American investors," a source close to the project admitted.

Mr bin Laden has, however, won a promise from the Noor City Development Corporation, based in Napa Valley, California, to build the project.

The company's chairman, Tariq Ayyad, an American of Kuwaiti origin, said the bridge aimed to "ignite economic development", creating jobs and generating trade from both sides of the Red Sea.

"It is very critical to connect African nations and their products and crops right to the Middle East," Mr Ayyad said.

"The Middle East is extremely wealthy in money and oil but we lack quite a lot of crops and services."

The longest suspension bridge in the world at present is the 3.9km Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, opened in 1998, which has a centre span of more than 1.9km.

The proposed bridge would be more than three times as long, with a centre span -- the most widely used means of measuring suspension bridges -- of 5km, allowing even oil tankers to sail beneath.

The reward to find Osama bin Laden, believed to be hiding in Pakistan, was doubled by the US Senate to $US50 million this month. It may not tolerate his name's being linked to one of the greatest engineering feats of the 21st century.

THE CONNECTION

The proposed bridge between Yemen and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa will be known as "the bridge of the century".

It would include a motorway and rail links, and two new luxury cities would be built on either side of the Red Sea.

Spanning the strait of Bab el Mandeb (Gate of Tears), which owes its name to its perilous waters, the bridge would take nine years to build and cost $23 billion.

Designs show a 3.2km viaduct from the Yemeni coast to the island of Perim, where it passes for another 3.2km before a final 21km stretch to Djibouti.

Is there really a demand for such a project? Can't imagine it... Yemen is quite remote, and so is Djibouti. There are almost no major roads in that area.

Is there really a demand for such a project? Can't imagine it... Yemen is quite remote, and so is Djibouti. There are almost no major roads in that area.

100% agreed... i don't see some profit in this :ohno:

better put the money in a huge bridge, than in WMD

Really not bad, will be perfect project

This region won't be isolated forever. It is transportation links that determine where population and economic growth takes place. This has been, by far, the most critical ingredient to the development of every place on earth. Development only happens where roads, rail links, or sea links exist.

Linking the Arabian peninsula to the horn of Africa makes so much sense I'm shocked it hasn't happened already. It is as important to Yemen and Djibouti as the Trans-Continental railway was to Canada or the Spice route was to the civilizations that grew from that. If this thing happens, it will be like hitting the economic jackpot for these countries.

Bin Laden bridge to span continents
The Sunday Times
23 July 2007

A HALF-BROTHER of Osama bin Laden is lobbying investors to build a 27km bridge that would be the longest in the world, connecting the continents of Asia and Africa -- in the hope that it would rehabilitate his family name.

Known as "the bridge of the century", it would stretch between Yemen and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

It would include a motorway and rail links, and two luxury cities would be built on either side of the Red Sea.

Sheikh Tarek Mohammed bin Laden, 60, has so far won backing and pledges of land from the presidents of both countries after shuttling between the capitals in his private jet in recent weeks, outlining his plans.

Tarek shares the same father as the leader of al-Qa'ida, who is 10 years his junior, but they have different mothers. Mohammed, their late Yemen-born father, who emigrated to Saudi Arabia and founded a giant construction empire, is said to have had 22 wives and 55 children.

Mr bin Laden, described by a business colleague as "very intelligent, with a lot of charisma", is reticent about his half-brother, saying only that he has had no contact with him and has no knowledge of his whereabouts. He runs the Saudi-based Bin Laden Group, a construction conglomerate that manages Mecca's holy sites, among a host of other interests.
The proposed bridge would be more than three times as long, with a centre span -- the most widely used means of measuring suspension bridges -- of 5km, allowing even oil tankers to sail beneath.

The reward to find Osama bin Laden, believed to be hiding in Pakistan, was doubled by the US Senate to $US50 million this month. It may not tolerate his name's being linked to one of the greatest engineering feats of the 21st century.

THE CONNECTION

The proposed bridge between Yemen and Djibouti on the Horn of Africa will be known as "the bridge of the century".

It would include a motorway and rail links, and two new luxury cities would be built on either side of the Red Sea.

Spanning the strait of Bab el Mandeb (Gate of Tears), which owes its name to its perilous waters, the bridge would take nine years to build and cost $23 billion.

Designs show a 3.2km viaduct from the Yemeni coast to the island of Perim, where it passes for another 3.2km before a final 21km stretch to Djibouti.

I hate it when unproffesional journalists publish crap just to grab reader's attention... Binladen is a huge construction company in the Middle East and unrelated with Osama, so the mention in this article is absurd.

Awesome project and I like the name.

100% agreed... i don't see some profit in this :ohno:

Yeah, I doubt people in Djibouti would be able to afford the tolls associated to the maintenance of the bridge.

No way this would be profitable, this is a remote and uninhabited region for thousands of KM around the area.

A better use of funds in a much more populated region would be to link Singapore with Sumatra then Sumatra with Java. This would serve tens of millions of people and many large industries as well. A Jakarta-Singapore land/rail link would be a huge project that would work economically.

That's not the Red Sea per se. It's the Bab el Mandeb.

And it's NOT an isolated area. It's actually an important shipping route for oil tankers to move oil exports out of the Gulf en route to Europe and North America. Not to mention, the nearby cities of Djibouti and Aden are major refueling points for ships going to Asia. It's actually one of the most important shipping routes in the world.

I think it should eventually happen. Probably not now (although this is a private project), but it will open greater trade links between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, two regions that are next to each other, yet have vastly different economic pictures and outlooks. The Booming Gulf hopefully will see this as new markets to trade with.

This, and it will help the Horn of Africa in general. Not only Djibouti, but Eritrea, Ethiopia, and my homeland Somalia, this is a region that has has seen foreign investment near nil. I welcome it. Hopefully it's the start of more investment from the Gulf! :okay:

This region won't be isolated forever. It is transportation links that determine where population and economic growth takes place. This has been, by far, the most critical ingredient to the development of every place on earth. Development only happens where roads, rail links, or sea links exist.

Linking the Arabian peninsula to the horn of Africa makes so much sense I'm shocked it hasn't happened already. It is as important to Yemen and Djibouti as the Trans-Continental railway was to Canada or the Spice route was to the civilizations that grew from that. If this thing happens, it will be like hitting the economic jackpot for these countries.

Exactly. It's good to see someone get it. :yes:

Unlike in the past, the Horn of Africa in general is being slowly seen as a place of investment and economic potential, and not a place where starving people live and people get killed. Dubai is investing in Djibouti City, operating their port, and building projects there, little by little. This would be unthinkable even 5 years ago.

We always are getting written off as poor and minute. The comments above are a testament to that. There needs to be a stimulus to bring economic growth, let it be a bridge or whatever. Hopefully it brings more economic integration with Arabia, and more growth to a region that desperately needs anything it can get. Our relative location demands it.

Also i think it can help to avoid some deads because extreme overloaded ferrys to meca because ramadan.

In my opinion, nearly 30km long bridge is an unproductive project in this region.

It should have been built 50 years ago...
Btw,really interestin,it will skyrocket economic devept in horn of africa.

Also i think it can help to avoid some deads because extreme overloaded ferrys to meca because ramadan.

very well see :yes: ambitious plan endeed...

Is there any news on this? I found this:

http://www.sabanews.net/en/news147784.htm

Agreement on Yemen, Djibouti bridge to be signed soon

[24 February 2008]

SANA'A, Feb. 24 (Saba) - Economic sources expected that Saudi businessman Tariq Bin Laden will sign on Sunday with the Djiboutian government an agreement of the construction of a bridge linking
Djibouti with Yemen.

The Saba-run al-Syasiah daily quoted the sources as saying the 28.5 Km bridge will connect Yemen with Birim Island in the Red Sea and Djibouti at the cost of €14 billion and will be completed within ten years.

The sources added that head of the Middle East Development Company Tariq Bin Laden, who arrived in Djibouti on Saturday, will hold a press conference after signing the agreement.



Is there any confirmation that bin Laden signed the agreement? since I can't find any news article about that, only this hype article.

I don't think it matters.

The Bin Laden family and company has disowned Osama a long time ago, and want nothing to do with him.

That's an expensive and expansive bridge though...€14 billion, and 28.5km long...that's probably the biggest project seen in either Yemen or Djibouti, ever! Seriously...wow.

Anyway, great news! :cheer:

^^I didn't say anything about osama...I should have been more clear and said Tariq bin Laden.

holy! this is like...a MOSES CROSSING!

tell me something... how would you describe relations between djibouti and yemen? are they good, very good, or somewhat poor or even hostile?
i'm not familiar with that regional geography so i think only link connecting those two states could be just oil... and someone said, trip to mecca during hadj...

Oh ~~

I've just opened another thread for this project. I searched Yemen and Djibouti in the titles of Bridge subforum, but couldn't find this. Silly me, didn't try 'Red Sea'.

Fantastic.

is too long, is this necesary???

from 22nd June 2010 - so almost a year ago

Phase I of Yemen and Djibouti Causeway delayed

MEED reported that the USD 20 billion Phase I of the planned Yemen Djibouti Causeway is delayed until the two governments sign the framework agreement.

Mr Mohammed Al Ahmed CEO of the project client, Dubai based Al Noor Holding Investment Company said that "In order for us to move forward with our project we need the government of Yemen and the government of Djibouti to sign a framework agreement."

Mr Al Ahmed said that we are waiting for them to sign it or ask to discuss it. The will give us the concession and the right to build the two cities and the bridge.

He said that the delay was due to the crisis in Yemen and he now expects the agreement to be signed soon. The crossing will be the first bridge to link the Arabian Peninsula with the African continent. Denmark's Cowi has drawn up a preliminary design for the 28.5 kilometers bridge.

When the frame work agreement was given to the government Mr Al Ahmed said that he expected to award a build operate transfer contract for the Phase I of the bridge in the H2 of 2010 and that three companies had express interest in funding and building the road and rail link.

The Phase I of construction will involve building the link between the Yemeni Mainlands to the Island of Perim in the Red Sea. Phase II will then connect Perim with Djibouti. The wider project also involves building 2 cities, at either end of the link. The total investment required for the construction of the cities and the bridge is USD 200 billion.

Mr Al Ahmed said that Al Noor has already invested an undisclosed amount of its own money in the scheme and remains optimistic that finance will be available to fund the entire project.