Qatar – Bahrain Causeway to boost regional trade and finance
The multi-billion dollar project to build the Qatar – Bahrain Causeway is set to have a dramatic impact on trade and finance in the Gulf as increased mobility will allow the easy movement of freight and people. The four-lane highway is expected to cut travel time by car between Qatar and Bahrain from four and a half hours to around 30 minutes. The causeway will also play a pivotal role in logistics in the region with improvement in journey times and ease of distribution.
The project to construct a 27-mile link, often called the “Friendship Bridge,” has been awarded to a consortium of companies led by Paris-based Vinci Construction Grands Projects and also includes Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment, Hotchtief of Germany, Consolidated Contractors International and Middle East Dredging Company (MEDCO), a joint venture between United Development Company (UDC) of Qatar and Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering of Belgium (DEME).
Work on the project, overseen by the Qatar-Bahrain Causeway Foundation, will commence after incorporating plans for a passenger and freight rail link in addition to the four-lane road connection. The scope of work will include over 11 miles of embankments and 14 miles of viaducts and bridges (over deep water), including two 400-yard main bridges spanning shipping channels.
The project is undergoing extensive environmental impact assessments and complex engineering studies, including analyses of the project’s significant dredging requirements. Since dredging companies play increasingly important roles in sustainable development, MEDCO’s smart dredging techniques, honed through its work on pioneering projects like The Pearl-Qatar, will help minimize the project’s overall environmental impact. MEDCO excavated around 18 million cubic yards of material and carried out reclamation of 4.2 million square yards on The Pearl – Qatar, providing it with crucial marine environment experience that it can call upon when assessing the environmental impact of the Qatar-Bahrain Causeway.
One of the key challenges of the project will be to minimize the effect on the delicate balance of water and salt exchange while simultaneously ensuring the continued unobstructed migration of marine life and minimal disturbance to fresh water aquifers.
The construction of a physical link between Qatar and Bahrain may also renew calls for Gulf monetary union as intra-Gulf trade becomes easier with a Gulf single currency. Plans for monetary union by 2010 suffered a setback in May as the United Arab Emirates signaled that it was unwilling to participate in the project. Both Qatar and Bahrain have indicated they remain committed to currency union.