Aconex software solutions have been chosen for the construction management of the $2.6bn Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway project.
Project owner Kuwait Ministry of Public Works approved the selection of Aconex by contractors Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. of South Korea and Combined Group Contracting Co. (CGC) of Kuwait.
One of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in the Gulf region, the causeway will connect Kuwait City with an area across Kuwait Bay known as the Subiyah New Town or the City of Silk.
The new settlement, which is expected to be completed in 2035, is planned as a major stop on Chinas proposed One Belt One Road initiative, which is intended to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route.
By shortening the distance between Kuwait City and Subiyah from 104 kilometers (65 miles) to just 36 kilometers (22 miles), the new throughway will trim travel times from 90 minutes to less than 30 minutes.
In November 2012, the Kuwait Ministry of Public Works signed a contract with a consortium of Hyundai and CGC to design and build the causeway.
A combination of low-level bridges and embankments, the project also includes 26 separate buildings and two artificial islands of 30 hectares each designed to enhance the scenic value of the drive.
Other members of the consortium include Systra, based in France; AECOM in Hong Kong; Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners), headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon; TYLN International; and SSH International. Work began in November 2013.
As the project ramped up, team members in Kuwait, France, Egypt, Lebanon, and San Francisco all required immediate access to project information.
According to Eng. Mai Al Messad, the project engineer, the number of daily transmittals of inspection requests, checklists, approvals, and progress reports had already risen into the hundreds.
We needed to manage the transmittals and to securely share documents with different organisations across multiple geographies, Eng. Al Messad said. It was critical for us to locate and retrieve project information quickly, and we needed to improve project control by automating manual processes.
Eng. Al Messad said that the team settled on Aconex because the collaboration platform is project-wide, neutral and easy to use. With Aconex, no single organisation owns the project information. Instead, each organization retains control and ownership of its proprietary data, and determines which documents and communications are shared with other members of the team.