At the cost of only $2Bn and at a lenght of 45km linking the two countries of Qatar and Bahrain in the Arabian gulf it will be the largest in the world.

pictures from the Qatar Forums:

http://img157.imageshack.us/my.php?image=b17dj.jpg

http://img160.imageshack.us/my.php?image=b23rw.jpg

http://img125.imageshack.us/my.php?image=b31qn.jpg

http://img147.imageshack.us/my.php?image=b55hv.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/7452/copy2oflinkbetweenqatarandbahr.jpg

http://i23.tinypic.com/fuxm41.jpg

Awesome project.:cheers:

wow... is this really true?
hope to see more about this...

^^ yes this is true it will unify the State of Qatar with the Kingdom of Bahrain :D

and construction is to start in march this year and end in 40 months ! thats about 4.5 years.....

Great project.
How long will the bridge be?

its 45km (abt 28 miles)

^^
I mean how much of the 45km will be a bridge and how much a causeway?

US-based firm bags Qatar-Bahrain Causeway project


DOHA: A leading US-based company has been awarded a contract by the Qatar-Bahrain Causeway Foundation to provide design, project and construction management services for the Qatar-Bahrain road and rail marine crossing.

Dr Ahmed Hassan Al Hammadi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, said KBR, a leading global engineering, construction and services company, was selected after two rounds of competitive tendering from among five international companies that had expressed an interest in the project.

Dubbed the “Friendship Bridge,” the Qatar-Bahrain Causeway is symbolic of the long-standing, positive relations between the two countries. Once complete, the causeway will be the world’s longest marine causeway, connecting the two countries from the west coast of Qatar, near the Zubarah fortress, to the east coast of Bahrain, south of its capital Manama.

The causeway will be a four-lane, 40 kilometre highway corridor consisting of roadway sections on reclaimed embankment and natural islands, low-level bridge structures and signature suspension bridges.

The project also includes freight and passenger rail lines, providing a direct connection for high-speed freight and passenger rail traffic between Qatar and Bahrain. It is envisioned that the railway will eventually be extended in each direction connecting Istanbul, Turkey to Muscat, Oman, and become the main rail link for the Middle East Gulf coast countries.

“KBR is honoured to be selected as the project manager for this significant bi-national transportation infrastructure project,” said Bruce Stanski, KBR President, Government & Infrastructure. “I am confident that, working in partnership with the QBC Foundation, KBR’s expertise and unwavering commitment to our client will lead to the successful completion of this long awaited project.”

The Qatar Bahrain Foundation is a bi-national institution created in 2006 by the Emir

H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and the King of Bahrain, H M Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for the purpose of developing and managing the causeway project.

^^ yes this is true it will unify the State of Qatar with the Kingdom of Bahrain :D

and construction is to start in march this year and end in 40 months ! thats about 4.5 years.....

40 months = 3 years and 4 months

Any updates please, it's an interesting project.

Awesome!

Only 40 months to build? Thats much more intense than the Hangzhou bay bridge! (5.5 years)

Though, The persian gulf isn't very hazardous is it?

Awesome!

Only 40 months to build? Thats much more intense than the Hangzhou bay bridge! (5.5 years)

Though, The persian gulf isn't very hazardous is it?


Its 2-20 metres deep, I wouldnt call that hazardous or dangerous.


In fact, its probably the easiest to construct bridges since they only have to put the legs down and lift the horizontal parts onto them. There are plenty of places around the world where this should be a given.

This is why a 14km long connection between Sweden and Denmark was possible and this is why the new bridge between Denmark and Germany will be possible: the water is very-very shallow.

Yea, pretty much what I meant. But is the water in the Persian Gulf corrosive? At keast could be sure that it won't be smacked by cyclones.

Yea, pretty much what I meant. But is the water in the Persian Gulf corrosive? At keast could be sure that it won't be smacked by cyclones.
It's likely no more corrosive than any other seawater.

Mike

I am very glad that the bridge will accomodate rail traffic. Imagine going from Istanbul to Dubai by high speed rail!!:banana:

Awesome project..............:banana:

i had a car in bahrain, while i was waiting to my conecting-flight ... and it would be so cool to drive to qatar by car =) ... and back to the bahrain to catch the flight ... muaa ... hope they build fast =)

Any recent picture updates?

has construction started on that interesting project?

Any photos about it?

This project is still going? Would be interesting for Qatar 2022

Qatar Bahrain Causeway

http://multimedia.thenational.ae/images/bahraingraphic.jpg

Other name(s): Qatar Bahrain Friendship Bridge
Carries: Motor vehicle and Rail
Crosses: Persian Gulf
Locale: Bahrain and Qatar
Maintained by: Qatar and Bahrain Causeway Foundation
Total length: 40 km (25 mi)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar_Bahrain_Causeway

Did the works start or no?

Do you confirm that the end of the works is planned for the end of 2013?

Bridge linking Bahrain, Qatar to go ahead - minister

DOHA, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A long-planned 40-kilometre causeway linking Qatar, set to host soccer's 2022 World Cup, and the Gulf Arab island state of Bahrain will be built and the cost may need to be lowered, Bahrain's foreign minister said.

"It is a must for both countries, even without the World Cup," Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told reporters on Thursday, without giving a time-frame for the project.

"This is one economic market, one economic zone that should be well-connected, and the bridge is an integral part of that ... It is inevitable," he said.

Sources close to the project had said in June it would be delayed due to escalating costs and political wrangling between the countries.

Qatar's successful bid to host the World Cup may have provided new momentum. The bridge would help Qatar manage heavy traffic during the World Cup as nearby Bahrain could absorb some of the tourist inflow in its hotels.

Qatar plans to spend over $50 billion in infrastructure, including roads, commercial projects and airports ahead of the World Cup.

Sheikh Khalifa said pricing for the project, which will be split 50-50, would need to be reviewed, as the initial cost was set before the global economic crisis.

"The question is when, and at what cost ... It was initially priced at $3 billion, but we are trying to bring it down."

A joint Bahrain-Qatar committee meeting will take place next month, and progress will be discussed then, he said.

The causeway linking the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Qatar to Bahrain was set to play a key role in improving infrastructure connections between members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), but has been beset by problems.

Tensions were stoked last year over Bahrain's nominee for Secretary General for the six-state GCC, Mohammad al-Mutawa.

Mutawa played an influential role in Bahrain's territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar islands, which the World Court awarded to Bahrain in 2001.

The bridge project, first announced in 2001, had already been delayed in 2008 to change the project scope to include trains, and late last year the countries said work would start in the first quarter and be completed by 2015.

Contractors for the project include French group Vinci , German company Hochtief , Qatari Diar Real Estate and Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC).

Qatar-Bahrain causeway to be ready by 2015

Doha: The total cost of Qatar-Bahrain Causeway, one of the longest bridges in the world, is likely to be in the tune of $5bn, which will be the largest amount of money spend on any causeway, said a Bahraini source.

Construction work of the causeway is expected to start before the end of 2011 and conclude in 2015. The causeway will be the most costly strategic project at world standards, said the source requesting anonymity, to Al Wasat newspaper of Bahrain.

Construction plans were delayed many times for new designs and amendments were introduced to the project. The total cost is between $ 4-5.5bn and expected to rise to $5bn to meet the cost of new designs, construction materials and other development projects, said the source of the body in charge of implementation of the project.

Qatar–Bahrain causeway is of 40km length including four vehicle lanes and two railways. Consortium of Al Diyar Real Estate Company, Vinci Grand Projects, French Contracting Company, German Hochtief Company, Consolidated Contractors International Company in Greece and Middle East Dredging Company, will be in charge of construction work, the daily said.

Qatar, rich in oil and gas, is expected to provide the bulk of the cost beside Bahrain, according to bankers. Construction works in the causeway linking Qatar to Bahrain is expected to finish in 4-5 years. The causeway starts from Askar village located in the eastern side of Bahrain Island to Ras Ishairij in Qatar.

The causeway construction will help achieve economic integration and sustainable development between the two states. More investments from Qatar in terms of real estate and stock market will be attracted to revive business and development of eastern and south-east areas in Bahrain.

Transport costs and services and commodities values will be reduced in the long run. About 4,000 vehicles are expected to pass daily through the causeway after completion and the figure is expected to rise to 12,000 by 2050.

Bahrain has run a study to assess the impact of traffic heading from Qatar. Huwar street at the north of Askar village, and Sheikh Jabber Al Ahmad Al Subah road and Sheikh Issa bin Salman road were developed in this regard.

The Peninsula

great!! would be nice to if bahrein also host the WC 22

Any news?

nothing?

Probably stopped due to unrest in Bahrain.

here

Experts gather to advance region's infrastructural development plans
Qatar: Wednesday, November 14 - 2012 at 09:58PRESS RELEASE



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To help mobilise the Gulf's plans for infrastructural advancement, a second series of lectures at the fifth annual 'Bridges Middle East' summit took place. Held at the Ritz-Carlton in Doha, specialists from the region presented case studies examining complexities of specific transportation networks in countries neighboring Qatar.


Dr. Maher Abouseif, former adviser to the Minister of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning in the Kingdom of Bahrain, opened the conference with his proposal for improving the country's infrastructure.

Titled 'Connecting Bahrain with the GCC infrastructure network,' the presentation described the Qatar Bahrain Causeway project that intends to build a causeway bridge between Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The idea is currently in its planning stage but, if implemented, is hoped to provide more accessibility for residential and industrial growth in Bahrain's northern areas, many of which are difficult to drive to through the country's existing road network. Functional and environmental considerations were also highlighted.

"We need to think about the amount of people and traffic for this project, for example we could expect more than 10,000 cars coming out of Diyar Al Muharraq, an extremely small 32 square kilometer space of land currently under development in northern Bahrain. There has been no proper expansion of road systems that can serve this area and link it up to the causeway, issues like this must be examined before submitting this proposal to Bahrain authorities," explained Dr. Maher.

"And without expansion in these areas we will not be able to accommodate the population, which will double in 15 years' time, if it continues to grow as it is now at five% yearly. I hope this project is seriously considered for implementation," he added.

While Bahrain is tackling its own challenges to advance infrastructure and accommodate the growing number of cars, the United Arab Emirates views improving public transportation as fundamental for relieving traffic.

Mr. Abdul Ghaffar Chaudhry, Chief Engineer of the Strategic Planning Department and Corporate Governance for the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai gave a lecture to explain the country's strategic transportation plan.

"We are working to achieve our long term eight strategic goals of our corporate plan, which include meeting individual transport mode plans for buses, railways and taxis across Dubai," said Mr. Abdul. "This will help the city improve in the long term because people will be more likely to use the public transportation system and, ultimately, take better care of the environment," he added.

A case study of Dubai's floating bridge was also presented. Proposed due to the demands of urban and economic growth in 2005, the country experienced debilitating traffic congestion. Currently in use, the bridge is equipped with special light weight concrete able to float on water and unique piles that control the structure's horizontal and vertical alignment.

Potential ship collision, safety measures and design considerations were also clarified. Mr. Abdul also noted the importance of sparking behavioral and cultural change in Dubai through awareness campaigns to help the community adopt environmentally friendly habits and foster a sustainable future.

To wrap up the two day conference endorsed by Ashghal, a number of other discussions took place exploring bridge design, construction and management.

http://www.ameinfo.com/experts-gather-advance-regions-infrastructural-development-318876