Qatar's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture Ali bin Saad Al-Kuwari has signed five contracts worth a total of QR69.71 million ($19.1 million) with local and international companies.

Among the five projects are the demolition and reconstruction of the Al Jemailiya primary, preparatory and secondary schools for girls. The QR13.11 million contract was signed with a local company and is to be completed by March next year. Another contract is for the demolition and reconstruction of Al-Ghuweiriya primary, preparatory and secondary school for boys.

A QR17 million deal to construct a road leading to the camel race course was signed with an international company and is scheduled to be completed in next January.

The construction of major roads, including design and supervision for Dukhan road, at a cost of QR24.23 million was awarded to an international company.

Runway project awarded

Manama: Bahrain's Works Ministry has awarded a contract to build an emergency runway at Bahrain International Airport..

The contract is to upgrade the existing parallel taxiway at the airport, Works Minister Fahmi Al Jowder said. Work is due for completion in November 2003. The airport presently has one runway.

In order not to disrupt airline operations in the event of major works on the runway, the existing parallel taxiway will be upgraded as a runway to accommodate emergency, non-scheduled landing and take-off operations.

Meanwhile, tenders for a new air traffic control tower at the airport were due to be submitted by the end of last mont. The tower and the taxiway redevelopment form part of the initial phase in the planned upgrade of the airport's infrastructure.

Pedestrian bridge work to start

Muscat: Contracts for the construction of six pedestrian bridges at key points across Sultan Qaboos Street in the Governorate of Muscat have been awarded by Muscat Municipality.

The bridges - the first of their kind in Muscat - are part of a key initiative by Muscat Municipality aimed at minimising the number of road accidents triggered by pedestrians darting across the busy carriageway.

Tarmac Alawi has won a contract to build three of the pedestrian bridges across Sultan Qaboos Street.

The bridges are designed by the client's in-house design team at Central Design Office of Muscat Municipality.

The other three bridges will be erected by Century Contracting. The contract is due for completion in February 2003.