Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway Project in Kuwait - A Case Study

"The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Causeway Project in Kuwait is estimated at approximately $US3.7 billion and consists of constructing a causeway across the Kuwait Bay, connecting the Shuwaikh Port with the northern Subiyah area, where the new “Silk City” will be established. The $US77 billion Silk City will revive the ancient “Silk Road” trade route and will become a major free trade zone linking central Asia with Europe. The new city will be completed in 2030, it will house about 700,000 people and, furthermore, it will include the tallest tower in the world. The Causeway will stretch approximately 23.3 miles and will be composed of a combination of low-level bridges, embankments and transition islands. A bridge of about 16.8 miles in length will span the navigation channel and a free flow interchange at the Shuwaikh Port will connect the causeway to the main road network in Kuwait City. The geo-construction portion of the project involves the execution of 1,200 drilled shafts with diameters of 98 inches and 118 inches embedded to a maximum depth of about 276 feet. Details are provided concerning the subsurface conditions, the geotechnical characteristics and the strength parameters, illustrating, as well, the installation technique implemented for the construction of the drilled shafts. In addition, particular attention is paid to the description of the challenges faced while constructing the drilled shafts at a distance of about 10 miles from the shore, such as the depth of the water above the midline (more than 160 feet), an underwater current and the tidal variation.INTRODUCTIONThis paper presents an overview of the foundation works executed for a 37km causeway across the Bay of Kuwait, connecting Shuwaikh Port with Subiyah New Town Development. The project, in which Trevi is actively engaged, includes a 27 km low-level bridge across the bay, a main bridge with a span of 200 m, an overpass and a 5 km approach road onshore in Subiyah.The main purpose of this report is to provide information about the nature and features of the applied technique of bored piles, including a description of each work phase and other related details, in order to aid in the design of the foundations for the proposed construction.Works for the soil investigation were carried out in accordance with accepted geotechnical standards/guidelines. Brief descriptions of the methodology of the field are also provided in this report."