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Gulf Leighton and Kier Dubai win Dh235m road contract
Joint venture to develop other infrastructure also at City of Arabia.
- By Saifur Rahman, Business News Editor
- Published: 00:00 August 7, 2006
Dubai: A Dh235 million ($64 million) contract for a road project in the City of Arabia at Dubailand has been awarded to a joint venture between Gulf Leighton LLC and Kier Dubai LLC, according to a statement released by Gulf Leighton.
Gulf Leighton LLC is a subsidiary of Leighton Asia (Southern), which is itself a subsidiary of Australia's Leighton Contractors.
Elyas and Mustafa Galadari Group, developer of the Dh22 billion ($6 billion) City of Arabia, has awarded the contract to the joint venture for the construction of roads and infrastructure of the project. The joint venture is responsible for the construction of 15km of roads in and around the development, five bridges, and underground services including drains, sewers, water mains and telecommunications. Work will commence immediately and the project is due for completion in August 2008.
Gulf Leighton's share of the project is worth $32 million, or half of the total.
The City of Arabia theme park, Restless Planet, will have four major rides. Entrance to the park will likely cost around Dh150, which will include access to all the entertainment and will be valid for four hours. The City of Arabia has already placed orders for the rides and equipment, including 109 animotronics electronic dinosaurs and other pre-historic creatures, some of which will move and interact with visitors. The dinosaurs are currently being made in Japan. The project will also have three hotels and some serviced apartment complexes.
"The project is Leighton Asia (Southern's) first in Dubai," the statement said. "It follows the award to the company last month of the $407 million Al Shaqab Equestrian Academy in Doha."
The equine management facility is Leighton's first project in the Gulf region and marks the successful entry of the company into the region's booming market.
Work will commence later this month and is scheduled for completion in December 2008.
The contract volume amounts to approximately 321 million euros. The client, the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, is a private, chartered, non-profit organisation.
The academy will feature a variety of state-of-the-art facilities, including a breeding facility, a hospital, and an Olympic-standard indoor arena.
Leighton Asia (Southern) launched its regional subsidiary in 2004.
Factfile: Mega project draws Dh65b investment
The City of Arabia, which will house 28,000 people in 8,200 homes, is part of Dubailand a mega tourism development that has already attracted Dh65 billion in investment. The project will also house the Mall of Arabia, which will be the world's largest shopping mall with 1,200 retail outlets. The mall is estimated to receive a footfall of 30 million annually.
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