Saadiyat infrastructure packages to be awarded in Q1 2010

The two main infrastructure packages for Cultural District and Marina District on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi will be announced by first quarter of 2010, according to a senior official from the developer, Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC). He declined to disclose any values.

"As a client, we are anxious to see what prices we get since it is a competitive market. The contractors are hungry now unlike two years ago. We are taking full advantage of the fact that competitive pricing needs to be brought into every single element of the work that we are doing," said Andrew Seymour, Director of Infrastructure at Saadiyat Island.

The current focus is on Cultural District, he said. "Our initial focus was on the Saadiyat Beach area, where we have luxury resorts and golf courses and all infrastructure around the area. It also included Saadiyat Bridge, Khalifa Bridge and expressway. It will all be completed in the next three to six months. The next focus is primarily on Cultural District to support the museums and their construction. At the same time, we will be looking at Marina district. It is a considerable amount of work considering the sizes of the project components," Seymour told Emirates Business.

The phases for completion of the infrastructure depend on the development phases, he said and the latter's timelines have multiple phases. "In very broad terms, we are looking at continuing the infrastructure work on Saadiyat Island over the next 10 years and are tying in with that. As areas get completed, the verticals of the building and the development above ground will start to occur. We are looking at 2020 for the completion."

In terms of utilities, the main power and water facilities to the island are under construction and nearing completion.

"The transmission supplier built at 400kv grid station and all the cables are nearing completion. Of the four substations, two are nearing completion and the other two will be completed by mid-2010. We are in the first phase of finishing off the huge ground storage tank, which will distribute water across the island. That will finish in 2010. One sewage treatment plant will be completed this month, and the design build contract on the second one has been awarded to Kharafi National," said Seymour.

The Australian-based Thiess Management Services is handling the construction waste management issues and have been soliciting third-party contractors to undertake various related jobs.

Seymour said:"We have a concrete crushing and waste management disposal system on the island. We are also looking at ways to control waste on the island so that sub-contractors on the island would deliver to one central location, which will minimise the logistical issues and traffic. We also have environmental services through TDIC and our lead consultant Parson to make sure our and third party developers are complying with our environmental mitigation plans. Sustainability will remain our priority along with reuse of construction waste, if possible."

The developer was working closely with the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi in terms of transportation issues and the Urban Planning Council to make sure the entire project was in co-ordination with the greater vision for Abu Dhabi, he said.

The main issues on the project are logistical issues.

"It is very difficult on an island, which had nothing to begin with. Once you have infrastructure and vertical buildings going up at the same time, you have to make sure that everyone can get to and from their job. When we started, we had a small road coming out of Saadiyat. Recently, we have opened a bridge and expressway and it has been a challenge to make sure that we managed the process well. We have worked very closely with all our partners on the island," said Seymour.

"The bigger challenge is yet to come as we will have soon have more developers and contractors coming into Saadiyat Island and not just TDIC."


SEVEN DISTRICTS

- Covering 27sqkm, Saadiyat Island will be completed in phases by 2018

- It has seven districts, including Saadiyat Beach, Saadiyat Lagoons and Saadiyat Reserve

- The Cultural District features Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Museum, Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, a performing arts centre and maritime museum

- The Saadiyat Bridge is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Abu Dhabi, using about 15,000 tonnes of asphalt and 15,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel

Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.