BULETINUL INSTITUTULUI POLITEHNIC DIN IAŞI

Publicat de
Universitatea Tehnică „Gheorghe Asachi” din Iaşi
Volumul 63 (67), Numărul 2, 2017
Secţia
CONSTRUCŢII. ARHITECTURĂ

MEGASTRUCTURES: SHEIKH JABER AL-AHMAD AL-SUBAH

CAUSEWAY PROJECT OF KUWAIT – 4TH LONGEST BRIDGE
OF THE WORLD
BY

GEORGE ŢĂRANU1,*, VASILE-MIRCEA VENGHIAC1 and

TEODOR MUNTEANU2
1
“Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iaşi,
Faculty of Civil Engineering and Building Services,
2
Civil Engineer Boushahri ERGO W.L.L.

Received: April 19, 2017

Accepted for publication: May 29, 2017

Abstract. This paper presents a particular situation about technology

optimization required for the project execution of the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad
Al-Subah Causeway bridge pillars in Kuwait. The initial approach to
technological solution regarding the mounting process of the reinforcement cage
of the pillars, was not efficient for the minimum time and maximum precision
criteria. A new technological system design was proposed and adopted after
several attempts, from January to March 2015 through the collaboration of the
authors via Skype.
Keywords: circular steel reinforcement cage; technological system; time
optimization.

1. Introduction

Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway Project is a major

infrastructure project with a very important role in the development of the
Kuwait emirate. Subiyah, a new future city which will be constructed after this
project will be connected to Kuwait City by this mega-structure which will

*
Corresponding author: e-mail: gtaranu@ce.tuiasi.ro
28 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

bring a major dynamic in the development of the country (Kuwait Ministry of

Public Works, 2010).
The bridge has a total length of 36.1 km, 27.5 km will be constructed on
water and 8.6 km on land, thus gaining the title of the fourth longest bridge in
the world. The bridge deck will be constructed of independent prefabricated
post-tensioned reinforced concrete caissons. This aerodynamic and torsion
resistant system has a width of 15.3 m and will provide eight traffic lanes. The
bridge will have 1,186 spans and 1,215 pillars.
A truly spectacular part of this project is the asymmetric cable stayed
bridge with a single tower and a span of 280 m. The project also includes two
artificial islands, each having a surface of 300,000 m2. These artificial islands
will provide a monitoring platform for the bridge and boat facilities.
The beneficiary of the investment is the Ministry of Public Works of
Kuwait, and the deadline for the construction is 5 years. The general structural
designer is Systra, the general contractor is the Hyundai Engineering &
Construction and Combined Group Contracting Co consort and the consultant
is Dar Al-Handasah.
The project consists of 12 main parts, according to the zones where the
bridge will be constructed as shown in fig.1. These parts are presented below:
1. Ghazali Transition – 0.4 km bridge constructed on land;
2. Shuwaikh Port Bridge – 1.2 km bridge on land;
3. Shuwaikh Port Interchange – entrance and exit ramps – 1.4 km bridge on
land;
4. Shuwaikh Bridge – 4.1 km bridge on water;
5. Bay Island – South – 0.6 km bridge over the first artificial island;
6. Approach Bridge South – 4.4 km bridge on water;
7. Main Bridge – 0.3 km cable stayed bridge;
8. Approach Bridge North – 9 km bridge on water;
9. Bay Island – North – 0.6 km bridge over the second artificial island;
10. Subiyah Bridge – 7.9 km bridge on water;
11. Subiyah Embankment – 4 km bridge on land;
12. Subiyah Interchange – entrance and exit ramps – 2.2 km bridge on land.

1.1. Bridge Sections Built on Land

These sections present vertical and horizontal alignment modifications

and also deck section modifications due to the entrance-exit ramps resulting in
the following technical solution:
1º The infrastructure will be made of bored piles in metallic casings,
spaced at 40 m apart, with a diameter of 2.5 m and a length of 33 m. After
casting the concrete in the metallic casings will be extracted. The pillars will be
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 2, 2017 29

cast on site on top of the piles, with the same diameter and varying lengths up to
12 m. The connection between the pile and pillar longitudinal reinforcement
will be achieved with mechanical connectors.

Fig. 1 – General view of the bridge.

2º The superstructure will be made of post-tensioned reinforced

concrete caissons, cast on site (Fig. 2), having the dimensions presented in
Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 – Bridge deck construction.

30 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

Fig. 3 – Transversal section of the bridge (RA140-10-BRG-CW-TR-00814-A5).

1.2. Bridge Sections Built on Water

These bridge sections will cross waters with variable depths, between
0.5 m and 12 m, thereby, two technical solutions were adopted:
1. The 4.1 km Shuwaikh Bridge section which connects the southern
bank to the first artificial island, crossing waters 0.5 m,...,2.8 m deep, will be
constructed by using a temporary metallic bridge (fig. 4) which will be removed
at a later stage.

Fig. 4 – Temporary metallic bridge for the construction of the infrastructure and
superstructure of the reinforced concrete bridge.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 2, 2017 31

The infrastructure will be made of bored piles with metallic casings,

spaced at 40 m apart, with a diameter of 2.5 m and a length of 33 m and the
pillars will be made of reinforced concrete, cast on site, on top of the piles, with
a 2.5 m diameter and variable length between 9 m and 10.3 m.
The superstructure will be made of prefabricated pre-stressed reinforced
concrete, 40 m span sections, with the cross-section dimensions presented in
Fig. 5. The sections will be lifted and placed with the cantilever crane (Fig. 6)
(AASHTO, 2007).

Fig. 5 – 40 m span bridge deck section.

Fig. 6 – 40 m span bridge deck section construction.

2. The rest of the bridge sections, where the water depth is between 5.2
m and 12 m, will be mounted with barges.
The infrastructure will be made of bored piles with metallic casings,
spaced at 60 m apart, with a 3 m diameter and the length ranging between 51 m
and 58 m. The pillars will be made of reinforced concrete, cast on site, with a
diameter of 3 m and length ranging between 10.4 m and 17 m. The pillars will
be constructed with the aid of circular caissons (Fig. 7), connected by welding.
32 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

Fig. 7 – Watertight circular caissons.

The superstructure will be made of prefabricated pre-stressed reinforced

concrete 60 m span sections, with the cross-section presented in Fig. 8, and
mounted with the floating crane (Fig. 9).

Fig. 8 – 60 m span bridge deck section.

Fig. 9 – 60 m span bridge deck section construction.

 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 2, 2017 33

2. Construction Process and Specific Issues

The construction process duration is a very important economic aspect

for all members involved in the project, especially for the contractor. In order to
increase the efficiency of the project development, the engineers responsible for
the construction process must always find innovative and unique technical
solutions specific for every project. Starting with traditional methods which are
very well known and established in practice, sometimes the search and design
of new and improved methods is required. This also happened within this mega-
project, involving the technological methods of creating and mounting the
reinforcement cages.
Therefore, different optimization methods were designed for the
construction of reinforcement cages, of formworks and prefabricated concrete
elements on a large fabrication yard consisting of industrial halls and specially
appointed spaces due to the large number of elements required to construct the
1,186 spans of the bridge.
The fabrication yard for the prefabricated concrete elements was
established on the northern bank of the construction site, in Subyiah (Fig. 10).
The production halls provided not only high quality elements and a shorter
production time, but also good working conditions for the workers, especially
during summer time.

Fig. 10 – Fabrication yard for the precast concrete members.

The precast members will be transported on the construction site with

barges and trailers and will be mounted with road cranes, floating cranes and
cantilever cranes.
34 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

The fabrication yard organization is made as follows:

a) reinforcement trimming and assembly;
b) prefabrication of superstructures members;
c) storage space for finished members;
d) formwork assembly space.

Fig. 11 – Fabrication yard organization layout (RA140-10-BRG-CW-TR-00814-A5).

Fig. 12 – Aerial view of the fabrication yard.

2.1. Construction Technology in the Initial Phase of the Project

2.1.1. Pile Reinforcement Cages

The pile reinforcement cages will be made for two pile diameters: 2.5 m
and 3 m, with variable lengths up to 12 m. The longitudinal reinforcement is
made of one or more rows of Ø 40 mm, Ø 36 mm and Ø 32 mm bars. The
transversal reinforcement is made of Ø 25 mm and Ø 20 mm spirals and
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 2, 2017 35

stiffening rings. The cages will be made with special machines which will
create the cage and will automatically weld the longitudinal reinforcement to
the spiral (Fig. 13). The cage sections will be joined together with mechanical
connectors.

a b
Fig. 13 – Pile reinforcement: a – reinforcement cage machine ;
b – reinforcement cage.

2.1.2. Pillar Head Reinforcement Cages

Pillar head reinforcement cages were made both on site after placing the
formwork, a more expensive and longer duration method, and prefabricated
which is a more advantageous solution. Therefore, these cages were constructed
by using a template made of rectangular tubes which copies the formwork
shape. During the construction of the reinforcement cage, steel tubes will be
installed in the longitudinal bars position (Fig. 14). The tubes are removed after
the cage is mounted.

a b
Fig. 14 – Pillar head reinforcement details: a – reinforcement cage; b – reinforcement
cage mounting.
36 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

2.1.3. Pillar Reinforcement Cages – the First Technological Issue

Careful attention is given to the pillar reinforcement cage system. The
pillars have diameters of 2.5 m and 3 m.
The classic system of pillar reinforcement consists of building work
platforms, transporting the reinforcement cages and mounting them with the aid
of cranes and the appropriate work force (Fig. 15).

a b
Fig. 15 – Pillar reinforcement details: a – work platforms; b – reinforcement cage
mounting with cranes.
The first step in anchoring the reinforcement cage is to introduce
metallic props placed on orthogonal directions at every meter along the entire
length of the reinforcement cage as shown in Fig. 16 a.
This system proved to be functional but it presents a series of major
disadvantages. During the lifting of one of the cages one of the props detached
and put the workers in danger. Another disadvantage is that two cranes are
necessary to lift and mount one cage and this proved to be expensive.
Additionally, a very long time was necessary to detach the metallic props after
the cage was mounted and the precision was poor, resulting in a deviation of the
completed member of at least 50% above the allowable tolerance for this type
of structural elements. This system required its redesign and optimization
resulting in a new system.

2.1.4. Pillar Reinforcement Cages Assembly and Mounting Redesign

The innovative technological solution consists of a completely new

concept of constructing the reinforcement cage. This system needed to be
precise, universal – with variable length and diameter, rigid, easy to manipulate,
demountable and able to be positioned in protected spaces.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 2, 2017 37

a b

c d
Fig. 16 – Pillar reinforcement cages assembly and mounting phases.
The transportation and mounting of the reinforcement cages is made by
using only one crane.
The design criteria of the new system include the reinforcement
particularities of the pillars, the assembly and coupling with the pile
reinforcement:
i) diameters of 2.5 m and 3 m;
ii) impossibility of welding the reinforcement bars;
iii) the longitudinal reinforcement will be made of maximum two rows
having Ø40 mm, Ø36 mm and Ø32 mm diameter bars;
iv) the transversal reinforcement is made of circular stirrups spaced at
15,...,25 cm;
38 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

v) the reinforcement cage will be provided at the exterior with a

stainless steel reinforcement made of Ø 16 mm longitudinal bars and Ø 12 mm
stirrups necessary for the protection against corrosive agents from the sea;
vi) the connection between the pile reinforcement and pillar
reinforcement will be made with mechanical connectors manually installed by
the workers, which implies the necessity of having an interior access space.
The advantages of these technological solutions are: short construction
time, the crane is not necessary for the reinforcement cage assembly, the
workforce will be significantly reduced.

2.1.5. The Design of the Reinforcement Cage Anchoring Device

Due to the fact that the reinforcement cage cannot be welded, the
danger of its dismantling during manipulation arises.
The main design issues:
a) the device needs to be strong and stiff so that it will be able to carry
weight of the cage during assembly and mounting;
b) the device needs to ensure the stability of the cage during
transportation and mounting;
c) the device needs to adjust to the reinforcement cage variable length
and diameter.
Starting from the above mentioned requirements, a metallic case made
of adjustable rectangular tubes is proposed. On the transversal direction the
elements are placed around a hexagonal central core which creates an access
space for the workers. On the exterior 3 segments are provided – 120º circular
arcs which can provide diameters from 2.30 m up to 3.00 m, thus having the
possibility of retracting the circular elements in order to extract the device after
the reinforcement cage is mounted on the spot. On the longitudinal direction the
device is designed to be extended from 4.00 m up to 12.00 m lengths. This
device will be subjected to its own weight and to the weight of the
reinforcement cage in different hypotheses: during assembly and during
manipulation (AISC, 2012), (AISC, 2006).
The design was made with a FE environment. The cross-sections which
satisfy the strength and rigidity conditions under a load of 10,000 kg and having
the extended length of 12.00 m are rectangular tubes. The design position of the
device is horizontal with a simple support at one end and 3 cables at the other
(cables attached to the crane hook). Details are presented in Fig. 18.
The connection between the rectangular tubes is made by welding. On
the circumference an extensible circle is made of Ø50 mm  5 mm circular
tubes. This circle is retractable and extensible in order to provide the required
pillar reinforcement diameter. On radial direction, from the hexagon’s nodes,
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 2, 2017 39

rectangular tubes are mounted in order to provide support for the extensible
exterior bars. The reinforcement will be fixed via a stiffening ring made of Ø36
mm reinforcement bars.

Fig. 17 – Reinforcement cage anchoring device.

a
b

c
d
Fig. 18 – Reinforcement cage anchoring device design: a – geometry; b – load
distribution; c – maximum principal normal stress; d – deflected shape.
40 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

In Figs. 19 and 20 details are presented regarding the constructed

anchoring device being used during assembly and mounting of reinforcement
cages. When the reinforcement cage is lifted in vertical position, the anchoring
device is provided with a detachable guiding system which has the purpose of
preventing the bending of the reinforcement during lifting (Fig. 19 b and 20).

a b
Fig. 19 – Reinforcement cage anchoring device: a – reinforcement cage assembly;
b – detachable guiding system for anchoring device.

a b
Fig. 20 – Reinforcement cage mounting: a – reinforcement cage lifting;
b – detachable guiding system removal.

In order to retract the transversal rings after mounting and connecting

the reinforcement cage, the rings winches are manually removed and the
anchoring device is extracted from the cage. Details are presented in Fig. 21.
 Bul. Inst. Polit. Iaşi, Vol. 63 (67), Nr. 2, 2017 41

a b
Fig. 21 – Reinforcement cage mounting and connecting to pile reinforcement:
a – einforcement cage connecting; a – removing the anchoring device.

3. Conclusions

Every construction project, either big or small, the search of innovative

solutions is very important in order to increase the efficiency of the construction
works, to reduce the construction time, to simplify the construction process and
to increase the work quality and the precision of the structural elements.
An efficiency increase of 10% for a mega project like the one presented
in this paper is very important. Specifically, for the first technological solution 3
to 4 hours were needed to assemble and dismantle the metallic props in
comparison to the second solution where the time needed was reduced to 0.5
hours. In addition to this aspect which implies human resources, another
improvement was the reduction of necessary cranes from 2 to 1, also with a
shorter construction time. Overall, the system has increased productivity by
30% and costs have been reduced by up to 20%.
The Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Subah Causeway Project of Kuwait has
as main objective the construction of a mixt bridge over land and water in the
Kuwait Golf which will facilitate and shorten the link between two cities:
Kuwait City and Subiyah, a city which currently doesn’t exist but will
eventually be developed and which would be twice as far away traveling on
land. The construction time is 5 years, from November 2013 until November
2018. Currently, in 2016 the construction is almost 50% finished, but the
eventual delays could be recovered with ease due to the nature of the works and
the experience gained so far in the project.
42 George Ţăranu, Teodor Munteanu and Vasile-Mircea Venghiac

REFERENCES
*
* AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, AASHTO, 4th Edition, 2007.
*
*
* * Base Plate and Anchor Rod Design, AISC, Second Edition, 2006.
* th
* * Steel Construction Manual, AISC, 14 Edition, 2012.
*
* * Design Basis Bridge, RA140-10-BRG-CW-TR-00814-A5.
*
* * Technical Conditions, State of Kuwait Ministry of Public Works, III, 2010.

MEGASTRUCTURI: SHEIKH JABER AL-AHMAD AL-SUBAH CAUSEWAY

PROJECT DIN KUWAIT – AL 4-LEA CEL MAI LUNG POD DIN LUME

(Rezumat)

Este prezentată o situaţie particulară de optimizare a tehnologiei de execuţie pe

parcursul montării carcaselor de armătură a pilonilor podului Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad
Al-Subah Causeway Project din Kuwait. Abordarea iniţială a sistemului de realizare şi
montare a carcaselor de armătură a pilonilor a condus prin spiritul inovator la
identificarea şi conceperea unui sistem adiţional cu rolul de a reduce timpul de execuţie,
resursa umană şi mecanizată, respectiv de creştere a calităţii şi preciziei lucrărilor.
Proiectarea sistemului tehnologic s-a derulat in perioada Ianuarie – Martie 2015 prin
colaborarea autorilor lucrării via Skype.