Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah Causeway

THE PROJECT

The bridge which runs between Kuwait City and the district of Subiyah is officially called the Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah Causeway, but is also known as the Main Link. This new 36 km maritime causeway has substantially reduced journey times for Kuwaitis, as the coastal road is a 135 km journey.

Construction work on the causeway included the creation of two artificial islands and two marinas as well as motorway interchanges and a visitor centre with panoramic views over the port of Shuwaikh. The road comprises 2x3 lanes in each direction and is extended via a second 8 km bridge known as the Doha Link. The two together span a total distance of 44.5 km.

THE SOLUTION

When the project was in the design stage, AGF’s specification department got in touch with the consultants, Dar Al-Handasah and SSH, and relentlessly pursued them to include the Fosroc product Nitoflor ET Slurry for bridge deck waterproofing and other products like grouts, admixtures, repair mortars, curing compounds, etc. in the specification. After several rounds of discussions and presentations with the consultant, Nitoflor ET Slurry was included in the material specification for bridge deck waterproofing.

THE BENEFITS

With the help of the contractor, AGF & the Kuwait team put in great efforts to convince the client, the Kuwait Ministry of Public Works - Road Engineering Sector, and the consultants, Dar Al-Handasah and SSH, to obtain approval for the products.

• Several visits were made to the client’s and consultants’ offices on a daily basis and meetings were held to build a relationship with the key decision-makers.
• Competitors’ activities were monitored and counteractions were taken immediately.
• A technical presentation was conducted at the client’s office, which was attended by key decision-makers on both the client and consultant sides.
• On request of the contractor, a mock-up of Nitoflor ET Slurry bridge deck waterproofing was conducted onsite, which was inspected by the client and consultants.