ALDAR Properties awards ALDAR/Laing O'Rourke JV

ALDAR/Laing O'Rourke has commenced work on Interchanges four, five & six, which will provide access to the mixed use development from the adjacent Abu Dhabi - Dubai highway.

The three major interchanges comprise of 20 post tensioned box girder bridges, spanning 270 metres long and up to 35 metres wide and six kilometres of associated carriageway construction, which includes half a million cubic metres of embankment fill and utility diversions. The work will be carried out over the existing Sh. Maktoum Bin Rashid Road and will be completed within the next 24 months.

"The formation of the ALDAR/Laing O'Rourke Joint Venture Company and the award of the contract for this major interchange demonstrates ALDAR's commitment to build the essential infrastructure to any development to meet announced project deliveries. This is a clear demonstration of the commitment of all the teams to the timely and cost efficient completion of the whole development,"

said Ahmad Al Sayegh, Chairman, ALDAR.

"The award of this contract enables ALDAR to demonstrate the benefits of this collective approach to construction procurement, by bringing designers, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers together as a single integrated team in co-located project offices. This will undoubtedly encourage more effective communication as well as creating the environment for openness, trust and innovative solutions for the benefit of the whole project," concluded Ronald Barrott, CEO, ALDAR.

"The new Joint Venture company has worked in conjunction with the master planners ESQUISSE, the infrastructural team; Cansult/Maunsell and the bridge architects, RFR to ensure the seamless and timely delivery of this crucial project," explained Michael Cox, Director, Al Raha Beach Development.

"We are excited to be an integral part of ALDAR's vision to achieve a step change improvement in construction delivery by challenging the 'business as usual' processes and attitudes, which will propel the property development industry in the U.A.E. forward," added Christopher Wilkinson, Managing Director, ALDAR Laing O'Rourke.

The AED 54 billion development has been designed to accommodate a population of 120,000 in some of the most spectacular buildings, marinas and water features seen in the U.A.E. developments which will start to be completed by end of 2009.