Saudi: Construction of Shurayrah, longest water bridge completed
The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) announced that it has completed the construction of Shurayrah Bridge, the longest water bridge in Saudi Arabia.
The company said that it has celebrated the installation of the last concrete block, weighing 400 tons, in the construction of the bridge that is an essential part of the infrastructure of the first phase of the Red Sea Destination Project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year 2023.
The 1.2km iconic bridge is part of the 3.3km crossing from the mainland to the project’s main hub island Shurayrah. The bridge will stretch a total of 1.2km across the Red Sea, with two small 36m sections at each end of the crossing to allow for movement of marine mammals.
The Shurayrah Bridge is one of the longest water bridges in Saudi Arabia, with a length of 3300 meters and a width of 28 meters. It contains two lanes for the passage of smart cars to and from the island and lanes for pedestrians and bicycles. The bridge represents the lifeline of the island as it is the main access point for Shurayrah Island, and connects the island with the mainland.
The Shurayrah Bridge consists of more than 600 pre-cast concrete blocks, and their weights range from 80 to 400 tons. Its design and construction methods met TRSDC’s strict criteria for sustainable development. Sustainable measures include strict controls on the prevention of any sediment movement from piling activities with multiple monitoring buoys strategically sited to alert any breakthrough from surface booms. A precast yard for bridge sections was established near the coast to minimize travel distances with concrete sourced from on-site batching plants.
