A night view of the arch pylon on the Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway which will lead to the Future Silk City, in Kuwait Bay, Kuwait April 23, 2019. Picture taken April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee

After years of wishing, planning, approving and four more years in the making, the 36-kilometer long bridge across Kuwait Bay has finally become a reality.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended and patronized the inauguration ceremony of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway on 1 May, in  presence of  His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al- aber Al-Sabah, the National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and in the company of visiting South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher and the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Housing Jenan Boushiri ,along with a host of senior state officials.

The new causeway, which is dedicated to the memory of late amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, is the fourth largest sea-bridge in the world. Built at a total cost of US$3.6 billion, the bridge connects Kuwait City across the Bay to the northern Subiyah area where the proposed $100 billion Silk City, the Mubarak Al Kabir Port on Boubiyan Island and a major free trade zone are to be located. The bridge will cut driving time between the capital and the northern area to just under 30 minutes from the more than two hours it currently takes.

The causeway, Kuwait’s largest construction project to date, was designed by Paris-based engineering and consulting group Systra, and built by a consortium led by South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company along with Kuwait’s Combined Group Contracting Company.

The Al-Jaber Causeway will act as a catalyst to growth and development in the northern region and will serve as an impetus to the country’s ambitious New Kuwait 2035 plan. The  strategic 2035 plan aims to realize the vision of His Highness the Amir to transform Kuwait into a financial, commercial and cultural hub in the region by 2035.

Crucial to the New Kuwait vision is the development of Silk City, which encompasses an international airport, a duty-free area linked to Mubarak Al-Kabir Port on Boubyan Island, business, leisure and hospitality centers and residential areas accomodating voer 700,000 people. The city also envisions being surrounded by nature and wild-life reserves, and specialized areas for education, health and industry, as well as having at its center he iconic Burj Mubarak Al-Kabir, a residential and business tower that will soar over a kilometer in height.

Addressing the event, South Korean Prime Minister congratulated His Highness the Amir on the inauguration of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway, and expresssed gratitude for supporting the execution of the project since 2013. Mr Nak-yeon added the causeway would establish Kuwait as an international trade center connecting the Middle East with the rest of Asia.

Speaking on the occasion Minister Boushiri  said: “We are beginning a new era in building Kuwait 2035, under the vision of your noble Highness and your high guidance, bearing in mind the aspirations of citizens and their aspirations for a better life committed to building a better tomorrow for the future of our generations.”

For his part, Deputy Director General of the Public Authority for Roads and Transportation Saud Al-Naqi said that the project is the new development ‘gate’ for the country, branding the Causeway the “artery” that will link Kuwait City with the Silk City, which is considered the future financial and commercial center.

The project begins from the intersection of Jamal Abdulnasser Street and Al-Ghazali Highway to the new Subiyah area. It  crosses two artificial islands of 280,000 square meters each, in addition to government buildings, green spaces and areas for future investment projects.

The  main causeway across Kuwait Bay links the Shuwaikh Port area on the south side of the bay to the Subiyah area to the north. The total length of the main causeway is 36km of which 27km is a marine bridge structure. A second span, the Doha Link, which crosses south of Kuwait Bay and links Shuwaikh Port with the Doha motorway, is 13km in length and is predominantly a sea bridge structure.

 

 

 

 

 


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