The Yas Island experience

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Bernard Patze, project manager, Shahama-Saadiyat Freeway, Six Construct.

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Felix Warny, project director, Ferrari Experience, Yas Island, Six Construct.

The enormity of the structure can be judged by the theme park alone, which will require 2.8 million litres of air conditioning.

Apart from the main theme park, Six Construct is also building the two marinas close to the theme park and part of the infrastructure projects in and around the island.

Bernard Patze, project manager of Shahama-Saadiyat Freeway, Six Construct, is in charge of the freeway projects that will inter-connect the island.

"We have about 30 bridges to construct on this project. It is a group of six contracts we have signed with Aldar, one of them is the Shahama-Saadiyat freeway, which includes the freeway itself and all the bridges on the freeway," says Patze.

The second contract is for the bridges which will inter-connect the island. The Shahama-Saadiyat freeway is the first project to be completed, and the first opening is scheduled for February.

The Shahama-Saadiyat freeway spans 50m and work on it started in March 2007.

"One of the challenges of the project was not to disrupt traffic on the main Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway in any way. Also the time frame was relatively short - we have completed the freeway in 21 months," says Patze.

One of the bridges is built over water, which is being supported by a steel structure resting on the bottom of the channel.

"Usually bridges are built on the ground and supported by scaffolding. But because of the water, we have put in the steel structure to support the scaffolding. It will be removed after the construction," adds Patze.

Final touches to the roads going to and from the bridges are currently going on, with the concrete being poured as the last layer.

"Traffic direction is passing through one span and during the time we have constructed the second span. Because of the bridges, a large quantity of excavation and backfilling work is going on as well," says Patze.

Though the project is nearing completion, it depends on Aldar on the date they want the first lanes to be opened to traffic.

See more pictures of the Yas Island site at www.constructionweekonline.com.

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