Safe hands

Larry Estrada is surprisingly serene considering he is responsible for thousands of lives. As project director for construction company Overseas Bechtel Inc, the well-travelled American is overseeing development of a US$7.5 billion airport in Doha.

The role requires meticulous planning and sound judgement to ensure the workforce's safety. But Estrada insists he is comfortable with the job.

"Anytime you get into very high intensity construction work there's always dangers, so we make sure people working at heights are tied off, properly briefed and trained in terms of the tools they are going to use," he says. "We like to send everybody home in the same condition they came to work, so safety is a big part of this job."

Like most construction sites, there have been a few minor accidents involving "nicked fingers" and sprains. Nevertheless, Estrada says low-risk injuries are par for the course when working on development projects.

His colleague Ike Richardson agrees, although Bechtel's director of operations for Qatar refuses to tempt fate. "I don't want to jinx us, so I'm knocking on wood," he says. "But I'm also confident that most accidents are preventable."

Having arrived in Doha some three months ago, Estrada has had little time getting to grips with the project. But despite his brief spell, he is aware of the progress made by Bechtel since securing the contract in 2005. The company initially acted as consultant to Qatar's Civil Aviation (CAA) Authority during planning stages of the project. A tender for the development work was then issued, with several construction companies keen to come on board. Impressed with Bechtel's input, the CAA eventually offered Estrada's employer the job.

Since securing the contract, Bechtel's daily role has involved designing blueprints for the airport layout, managing procurement and construction and overseeing some 10,000 contractor employees. The company is contracted to finalise three stages of the project, with the first scheduled for completion in 2009. When finished, New Doha International Airport (NDIA) is expected to be a world-class hub for airline passengers.

Indeed, the next two years will see the development of five concourses, with two runways measuring 4850 and 4250 metres respectively. Each will accommodate A380-800s at the 5400 acre site, which is only 4km from the existing airport. A multi-storey terminal building is also planned, with 40 contact gates and 22 remote gates across 430,000 m² of floor space.

Furthermore, a business park, free-trade zone and courier and mail service will be developed. Meanwhile, the new airport will house a luxury hotel and transit accommodation, hangar space for two A380-800s and three A340s, and a maintenance centre. Three major new roads will be built to provide access to the hub, with passenger numbers expected to reach 24 million when the first stage of development is complete.

By 2015, NDIA will have an additional 27 contact gates, an extended terminal building covering 750,000 m², and elevated monorail system for passenger transit. The hub is also expected to have an additional luxury hotel, be capable of servicing six A380-800s simultaneously and handle more than 50 million passengers each year.

"The government is trying to make this one of the main Middle Eastern hubs, so people will come through the area," Richardson says. "When this airport is delivered, people will ask how it benchmarks against the famous airports of the world - and it will be right there at the top. It's complex and challenging to build, but you design it with the best standards that you can find and carry out initiatives that will enhance the passengers' experience."

While getting the new airport up and running is the main objective, the government is also keen to increase passenger levels at the existing hub. Refurbishments costing $140 million are planned, with the number of people travelling through the airport expected to climb to 7.2 million from 4.2 million.

"Right now the roadways coming to the new airport will go through the current one, so in some aspects the existing hub will be dismantled and torn down." Richardson says. "Some of the buildings will be saved, but to get to the new airport there will be roads that go right through the existing runways at the old hub."

Bechtel is on schedule for first stage completion in 2009, according to Richardson. But he admits there have been a few obstacles to overcome. Indeed, securing land has taken time, while the company had to offer the Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves suggestions for minimising environmental damage. Richardson says reclaiming land is an ongoing issue but insists the environmental agency is satisfied with Bechtel's plans.

"We have worked closely with SCENR, which has been helpful, and have a good working relationship with them," he adds. "We are still reclaiming land but have done about 63 million cubic metres to date, which involves pumping the water out, putting land in and draining it, making it compact and ensuring it has the right consistency."