Taisei doubles up

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Dmitry Dolzhanskiy/ITP Images

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RMD Kwikform is supplying the formwork and falsework for the project. (Dmitry Dolzhanskiy/ITP Images)

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According to Goto, building 10 bridges at once required Taisei to buy formwork. (Dmitry Dolzhanskiy/ITP Images)

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Due to the nature of the roads, most of the structures are curved in plan – a Rapidshor falsework support system. (Dmitry Dolzhanskiy/ITP Images)

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While Salik may have alleviated congestion in some parts of Dubai, the fact remains that traffic levels continue to rise inexorably as the city continues to expand, both geographically and numerically. The ability to manage these levels has resulted in a swathe of key road construction projects being undertaken to link various sections of Dubai, modernise its infrastructure and eliminate congestion of traditional routes.

One of the busiest junctions in the emirate is the Arabian Ranches interchange. Located on Emirates Road at the corner of Dubailand, Dubai Autodrome and Arabian Ranches, the junction will become more strategic in the future as the surrounding projects reach maturity. Currently under construction through Japanese contractor Taisei, the interchange, when completed will be one of the largest ever constructed in the Dubai.

Costing an estimated US $111 million (AED409 million), the project began in June 2006, with an projected completion date of June 2008. It also includes the expansion of the Umm Suqeim Road, which links the Sheikh Zayed, Al Khail and Emirates Roads - it will be expanded from the existing four to eight lanes. Al Qudra Road, another important link in the road network area, will also be expanded from two to four lanes in each direction. The work will also expand the road to a length of 5km in the direction of the Dubai Bypass.

Originally conceived with 13 bridges, the design has been altered to incorporate 11 bridges, with the remaining two lanes to become an underpass through a cut and cover tunnel. Of the 11 bridges planned, 10 are currently under construction, with design negotiations currently underway to connect the remaining interchange to Dubai Autodrome. Toshio Goto, project manager, Taisei Corporation explains that he only recently met with the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) to finalise the details for the last bridge.

Taisei's role in the project has undergone significant timescale challenges. While the original plan saw the project split up the 10 bridges into sets of five, due to delays in the work, the team was forced to undertake all 10 bridges consecutively, which not only challenged Taisei, but also placed significant strain upon RMD Kwikform, which found itself having to supply material for 10 bridges within a six-month window.

According to Goto, progress was initially slow due to the quality of formwork, which was consequently rejected on numerous occasions by Parsons, which is the consultant on the project. This stemmed, he adds, from a team of Pakistani labourers brought in by Taisei who were unfamiliar with UAE specifications.

"The first five bridges should have been finished last month, so that is why we hired another five bridges worth of material - we need to complete these bridges before the end of January 2008," says Goto.

"This is a very fast project for the RTA. We have experience in Abu Dhabi and on the Palm Jumeirah, but the client for the Palm was Nakheel, which is in the private sector, whereas the RTA is a public body. Therefore, quality control and safety regulations are much stricter."

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