Ashghal completes 72% construction of Umm Lekhba Interchange

Author: Justin Murray

Ashghal completes 72% construction of Umm Lekhba Interchange

Posted on by Justin Murray

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has completed 72 percent of the development works on Umm Lekhba Interchange, known as ‘Landmark Intersection’ within the work of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor project.

The new free-flow interchange with a length of 11km, the largest in Qatar, will consist of nine bridges with the capacity to accommodate 20,000 vehicles in an hour. Parts of the interchange will be opened by the end of this year.

Once completed in 2021, Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor will significantly contribute to the relief of traffic congestion on Doha Expressway, in particular on 22 February Street. The new Corridor will be a vital alternative and parallel route that will serve thousands of daily commuters from the north to the south of Doha.

Details about the project were given by Ashghal officials during a media tour of the construction site of Umm Lekhba Interchange.

“The construction of the huge and vital interchange is underway, parts of the new interchange are scheduled to open by the end of 2019, followed by other openings until the end of 2020,” said project engineer, Ali Ibrahim.

Ibrahim said that the interchange accommodates over 20,000 vehicles per hour and five bridges consist of two lanes in one direction, while the other four bridges include one lane in one direction.

Above all, the interchange is located in a densely populated area and a vibrant commercial activity where there are many government entities, educational and health facilities as well as complexes and commercial markets.

Once completed in the fourth quarter of 2020, the new interchange will significantly improve traffic to shorten the travel time by more than 70 percent.

The bridges provide nine arteries that provide free traffic flow in nine directions, in addition to the free traffic on Al Shamal Road as well as the underpass of the old interchange linking Al Markhiya Street and Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor.

Commuters travelling from Hamad International Airport will be able to reach Umm Lekhba Interchange in approximately 18 minutes compared to the current 50 minutes via Doha Expressway and 22 February Street reducing traffic time by 70 minutes.

This significant improvement in traffic will occur due to increased road capacity to more than 20,000 vehicles per hour in both directions after the expansion of the corridor, which will be upgraded to four and five lanes in each direction instead of three lanes, Doha Expressway currently accommodates 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.

The project will convert all roundabouts to more efficient and safer signalised junctions as well as build and upgrade 17 interchanges.

These interchanges will deliver 32 bridges and 12 vehicular underpasses to enhance connectivity and provide smooth traffic movements in addition to 12 pedestrian bridges.

A total 12 pedestrian and cycle paths with a length of 65km along with 1.5 million square metre of landscaping will also be delivered as part of the project’s scope of works.

Source and Photo Copyright: The Peninsula Qatar

Hamad Port has set a new Guinness World Record as the deepest artificial basin ever made on Earth

Posted on by Justin Murray

The Minister of Transport and Communications HE Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti received the Guinness World Records certificate from the organization’s representatives at a special event held at MOTC premises today.

Hamad Port’s basin is 4km long, 700 meters wide and 17 meters deep. Basin construction took about two and a half years of excavation, during which over 6900 tons of explosives were used to challenge the drafts – with full commitment to preserving wildlife and marine life – to extract more than 44.5 million cubic meters of dredged material, which was later used in other construction works at the project, resulting in huge savings.

“Hamad Port winning of such a universal certificate signals the importance and size of the project. Such an achievement is a new addition to a collection of world records the country set at Guinness World Records. It also emphasizes Qatar’s capability of developing innovative projects in line with highest global standards,” the Minister said.

“Hamad Port’s continuing achievements place us before a double responsibility toward our society so as to continue our performance according to world standards and our ambitious goals,” he added.

He also noted that since construction operations began at Hamad Port the latest technologies have been in use to ensure highly-efficient work progress in line with best global quality standards. The concerted efforts from both staff and partners have always been the key to the port’s milestones, he said.

This new Guinness World Records certificate is an addition to a collection of universal certificates and rankings the port has made recently as it was awarded high commendation in the Coastal Dredging Project of the year category at the inaugural IHS DPC Innovation Awards. The commendation was awarded to Hamad Port for the deployment of unique systems in the construction and excavation of the port basin, which was built on land in a rare operation of its kind in international ports in addition to its advanced infrastructure that supports the ecofriendly port technologies worldwide.

Hamad Port was also listed by the Lloyd’s List Global Awards 2018 among the top 8 international ports in the field of innovation and among the top 5 ports in terms of operations. The port was commended for deploying constructive initiatives and ideas, plus its efficient operational processes and overall unique performance.

In terms of operational processes, Hamad Port managed to set new records in August 2019, celebrating two key milestones; the handling of over 3 million TEUs and 7 million tons of general and bulk cargo since the commencement of operation of the facility.

Source and photo copyright: The Peninsula Qatar

The shifting sands of construction in the Middle East

Posted on by Justin Murray

“Northcroft Middle East’s proactive Dispute Avoidance Services are designed to ensure that the avoidance of construction and engineering disputes is the overriding objective of all parties. We continue to raise awareness, through the provision of our services, that communication, access to the relevant paperwork and records, coupled with the willingness of all parties to cooperate is absolutely vital to the successful delivery of any project and therefore maximises the opportunity to complete the project without the need for costly and potentially damaging disputes” Peter J. Locks (CEO)

Average value of disputes in the Middle East revealed two interesting finding that show a change taking place in the construction market in the region.

A recent report by Arcadis (Global Construction Disputes Report, 2019) examined the state of construction in the Middle East.

Two important findings it highlighted was that in 2018 the average value of disputes in the region dropped to $57 million from $91 million in 2017. It further found that the average length of time needed to resolve a dispute increased to 20 months, compared to 13.5 months in 2017. This is despite the fact that the total volume of construction disputes was about the same in 2018 and 2017.

These two findings are interesting to study further because they demonstrate the current shift taking place in the construction market in the region.

Drop in the average value of disputes
The most likely reason for the drop in value of construction disputes could relate to the increased use by construction parties of FIDIC form contracts in the region.

The FIDIC process supports the early resolution of claims through a dispute adjudication board and one particular feature of this is that it is a prerequisite to a party commencing arbitration.

The resulting effect is that some disagreements do not progress to full-blown disputes, reducing the overall value of disputes that do. The increased use of the FIDIC process is a welcome development illustrating the maturity of construction parties to resolve disputes promptly and efficiently, removing the need to commence either litigation or arbitration.

Factors affecting the time to resolve disputes
There are a number of factors affecting why disputes in the region are now taking longer to resolve.

The availability and increased workload of tribunals (of which there is a limited pool of experts in the construction field) is one factor. Other factors include the complexity of disputes and parties’ conduct during the proceedings. For instance, if there are increased applications for interim measures, this will draw out the process.

A number of parties are also known for deploying dilatory tactics to complicate and delay the resolution of disputes. While there are effective ways of dealing with such dilatory tactics, they require the involvement of sophisticated dispute resolution lawyers.

A party’s preference for a binding decision to resolve a dispute means it is more likely to refer claims to a formal dispute process such as arbitration proceedings, which will result in a binding award that is directly enforceable in the Middle East and in many jurisdictions around the globe. However, this may sometimes take 2 years (or more) to obtain.

Read more at Arabian Business

We are expecting five malls to open in Doha before 2019 ends

Posted on by Justin Murray

With most of these malls still being under construction, 2019 will see the expected opening of five new malls in Qatar, and a number of other commercial enterprises. These include Katara Mall in Al Qassar, Doha Mall in Abu Hamour, Doha Souq in Al Mirqab, La Galleria in Msheireb and Northgate Mall (North Doha), reported the Qatar Peninsula.

In addition to these already opened malls, outdoor places in Doha like Souq Waqif, Katara Cultural Village, The Pearl Qatar, Porto Arabia and Medina Centrale, which are made up of a high number of food and beverage outlets are providing an additional 200,000 square metres of retail accommodation that is leasable.

DTZ/Cushman & Wakefield also mentioned in their review that ever since new retail commercial space, residential units and hotels have been added to the market combined with certain other factors, there has been a downward pressure in property rents and the revenues of the average room in the hotels in and around Doha. However, with time, these are now getting more and more stabilised.

It is expected that, with time, and as Doha’s main infrastructure projects near completion along with the Government’s programmes to accelerate the private sector, the economy will diversify and will not just be dependent on oil and gas, and the private sector will see a lot more growth and potential.

Source: IloveQatar

55 new projects worth QR18.8 bn in 2019: Ashghal

Posted on by Justin Murray

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) will spend QR18.8 billion on 55 new road and infrastructure projects in 2019. This was announced by Ashghal President Saad bin Ahmad al Muhannadi at the authority’s third industry briefing on upcoming infrastructure projects in Doha in March.

“Ashghal will focus on infrastructure projects in new and existing sub-divisions and to complete them on time with the required quality,” Muhannadi said. “Ashghal has completed 95 percent of its Express Highway project and the next priority will be development of citizens’ plots, existing sub-division, ground water and drainage network. The projects in 2019 will include 125 km of drainage, 175 km of road, 285 km of ground water network and over 1 million square metres of landscaping,” Muhannadi said.

Ashghal is currently implementing 14 projects serving about 16,000 sub-divisions with a budget of QR6.5 billion. Many companies related to the construction industry, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers, consultants and individuals from government and non-government institutions attended the seminar.

Ashghal presented local roads and drainage projects that will be tendered during 2019 and projects that are under construction.

The Ashghal president also referred to the benefits of revisiting the contracts, which emphasised the importance of community outreach to reduce the impact of construction on the daily lives of the public and the surrounding environment and increase public awareness.

Chairman of Hamad Bin Khalid Contracting Company and QBS International Sheikh Ali bin Hamad al Thani said Ashghal’s recognition of outstanding contractors is a good gesture to encourage other contractors to comply with the standards of the authority.

Ashghal has honoured seven companies for their outstanding performance in the area of safety. Five companies were awarded certificates of recognition for their excellence in implementing new contract enhancements.

Technical Office Manager at Ashghal Ahmad Ali al Ansari said 104 companies have already been accredited through Ta’heel initiative, providing 141 certified and locally manufactured products.

Source: Qatar Tribune

Hamad Port proves a model for eco-friendly developments

Posted on by Justin Murray

Hamad Port is not only the largest and most innovative port of the region which is fast becoming a hub of maritime trade in the Middle East but also an environmentally-friendly facility.

People generally know that Hamad Port is the largest port in the region employing smart technologies, innovations for its growing vessel traffic but its environmentally-friendly endeavours, practices are lesser-known in public domain.

Mwani Qatar, in a recent tweet, shared some interesting and laudable facts linked with the sustainable construction of Qatar’s gateway to the world.

“Hamad Port is considered the region’s largest and most environmentally-friendly project and this title has been well deserved for several factors, the most important of which is its success in relocating and moving more than 12,500 pieces of hard coral reefs.“

Sharing some other details of steps taken to preserve the environment while developing Hamad Port, Mwani Qatar tweeted about relocation of 14,300 square metres of seaweeds and 31,700 marine seedlings and avicennia trees providing shelter and nourish countless sea creatures.

In June this year on being recognised as one of the Greenest Ports in the world, Mwani Qatar had tweeted: “Environmental protection has been a key objective in all phases of Hamad Port’s construction.

The port’s international recognition as one of the world greenest ports proves that this goal has been achieved, underscoring its commitment to local and global environmental standards and adopting the latest innovative practices based on environmental sustainability and clean energy.“

Earlier in November 2016, Hamad port had won “largest smart and environment-friendly project” award that is granted to the best practices in safety, maritime environment and port operations.

All these environmentally-friendly measures taken by Mwani Qatar for development and running of Hamad Port have been widely hailed by different world organisations. The ‘World Port Sustainability Program’ on its website Sustainableworldports.org published an article “Hamad Port – Ensuring sustainable mega port development” in 2017 which states: “The guiding principle for the port management was to ensure that the project is sustainable and environmentally does not adversely affect the communities in the vicinity.

With guidance from the Qatar’s Environment Ministry, a separate project was set for independently monitoring the development activities with respect to their effects on environment. In particular the impact of the construction activities on air quality, coastal morphology, groundwater quality, marine ecology, sediment, noise, fauna and flora were closely monitored and follow up actions were taken where needed.”

The articles also details steps taken under a separate project for the relocation of ‘at risk’ marine life to alternate ‘recipient’ sites. “At the end of the monitoring period in 2017, the results were evaluated verifying that there was only minor environmental impact. The relocation (of marine life) project itself was considered very successful with 78% of the relocated communities surviving and now thriving,” the article adds.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar

Kuwait’s Electricity and Water Ministry awards $18.7m tender to HEISCO subsidiary

Posted on by Justin Murray

Heavy Engineering Industries and Shipbuilding (HEISCO) has announced that one of its subsidiaries, Gulf Dredging and General Contracting Company, has been awarded a tender worth $18.7 million by the Kuwaiti Electricity and Water Ministry.

Based in Kuwait, HEISCO is a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor with a range of diversified businesses including operations in sectors such as: oil and gas, petrochemicals, power, pressure equipment manufacturing, shipbuilding and repair, dredging and marine construction, maintenance and other industrial services, including heavy industry projects.

The company has a 99.92% stake in Gulf Dredging and General Contracting Company, according to a filing to the Kuwait bourse. The statement also explained that the tender is in favour of Kuwait’s electricity and water ministry and carries a maturity period of 36 months.

The financial impact of the tender will be operating income that will be registered in the financial statements for fiscal years 2019 and 2020, it added.

Source: ME Construction News

Ashghal project wins CEEQUAL Design & Build Award

Posted on by Justin Murray

CEEQUAL is an international evidence-based sustainability assessment, rating and awards scheme for construction and service projects. It uses a rating system to assess performance of the projects during their development through the design and construction phases.

Ashghal completed the construction works of the Main Trunk Sewer last April, as part of the Doha South Sewage Infrastructure Project with “Jacobs” (formerly CH2M) as the international management consultant. The project aims to serve a number of areas south of Doha through connecting them with the drainage network.

The Main Trunk Sewer (MTS) comprises of three branches; northern, western, and eastern, with a total length of approximately 16km. The northern branch extends for about 4km through Rawdat Al Khail and Al Nuaija areas.

The western branch stretches for about 5km from Mesaimeer, Al Maamoura to Freej Al Soudan. The eastern branch extends for about 7km from Al Thumama to Old Airport area, passing through the E-Ring Road. These branches are gravity-based tunnels which are designed to reduce environmental impacts arising from sewage overflow, control odours in sewage treatment works and conveying system, and decrease the costs for operation and maintenance of foul sewer system.

The Doha South Sewage Infrastructure Project also includes the construction of seven lateral interceptor sewers with approximately 24km of microtunnels, which are constructed using 170 deep shafts in different areas around Doha. The lateral interceptor sewers will convey sewage flows from areas in the center and south of Doha to the three branches of the MTS, which will then convey these flows to the existing Doha South Sewage Treatment Plant.

It is worth mentioning that the project is designed to accommodate the population growth expected in Doha South, and has the capacity to be linked to the future infrastructure projects, in line with Ashghal’s commitment to provide sustainable infrastructure in the State of Qatar.

Once complete, the project will enable the decommissioning of more than twenty foul sewer pumping stations located in the residential and commercial areas in the south of Doha.

It should also be noted that the project team has implemented periodic environmental audits as a contractual requirement to test and measure the contractor’s (the Joint Venture of Bouygues and UCC) compliance to the established standards and environmental bests practices.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar

Northcroft Middle East Internship Programme

Posted on by Justin Murray

“It is without a doubt, a sad time to say goodbye to Janelle …., (Northcroft Middle East 2019 Intern) Janelle Cezar returns to Malaysia at the beginning of August 2019 to continue with her final studies. Having completed six months of work placement internship with Northcroft Middle East, we are exceptionally pleased with Janelle’s commitment to work, her inane ability to make everyone smile and whilst we thank Janelle, we are also proud to offer a permanent offer of employment once Janelle completes her education. Well done and good luck with your final studies Janelle” Peter J. Locks – CEO.

Northcroft Middle East Corporate and Social Responsibility Programme

Our Summer Internship Programme is designed to offer excellent work experience to compliment your classroom training and career goals. We are devoted to finding, selecting and training interns who will make a positive impact on our company. Intern Program activities allow you an opportunity to meet and network with company executives, employees, and fellow interns, as well as learn more about the quantity surveying profession and the construction/engineering industry.

Interns are assigned to a variety of departments for the summer, including Pre-Contract, Post Contract and Claims/Dispute Resolution Departments, placement decisions are based on interests, skills and position availability. Furthermore, interns are provided with direction, coaching and mentoring so they may perform at their personal best.

“Our belief in education and training, has been and continues to be, fundamental to Northcroft Middle East’s commitment to excellence” said Peter Locks, (Chief Executive Officer). “Moreover, we actively encourage our interns to develop and share their ideas as we provide the tools and resources necessary to implement them. Active involvement in live projects stimulates their learning, allowing them to leave their mark on the company”.

Northcroft Middle East offers a wide range of opportunities to work on projects that have powerful, lasting and positive impacts on people, communities and the environment. Career and internship opportunities for dynamic, talented and passionate people who want to maximise their potential are available, please forward your CV’s to enquiries@northcroftme.com.

About Northcroft Middle East:

Northcroft Middle East has a reputation second to none, we have a heritage that can be traced back to the 1840’s. Founded in the United Kingdom and under British Management, Northcroft Middle East was established in Doha, State of Qatar in 1976. The United Arab Emirates office quickly followed in 1978.

We are an independently owned, Chartered Quantity Surveying Firm, collaboratively engaging with our clients across many major construction and engineering projects in the Middle East. Our international presence, supported by our client partnerships has enabled us to build upon our expertise with operations in Russia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, United States of America, Brazil, Eritrea, Lebanon and throughout Europe.

Our corporate philosophy is simple, we act with absolute integrity, treat each other with respect and take responsibility for our actions and work. This ethos has enabled us to continue to build upon our reputation for uncompromised performance.

Regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), we continue to assert our commitment to the profession, that Northcroft Middle East is committed to setting and upholding the highest standards of excellence.

As an International and Middle East specialist commercial and contractual services provider, our professional and expert teams provide the full range of Quantity Surveying Services, Commercial and Contract Management, Consultancy Services, Claims and Dispute Resolution, Forensic Delay and Expert Services.

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