THREE international consortia – Mirbaat Consortium, Mafraq Motorway Group and MTD-CSCEC Consortium – have submitted bids to the Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi for a 25-year concession to upgrade, finance, operate and maintain the Mafraq-Ghweifat Highway.

The highway, which stretches 327 km from Mafraq to the border at Ghweifat, provides the only access to the Western Region, including the industrial centre of Ruwais and several important tourist destinations.
The project is the first transport-related public private partnership (PPP) project to be undertaken in the GCC. It will see the highway widened to four lanes in each direction (three in the less-trafficked areas near Ghweifat) and upgraded to meet world’s best standards in highway design, safety, communications and services to users.
Once completed, the winning consortium will be responsible for maintaining and operating the upgraded highway while meeting stringent performance standards relating to safety, availability and quality for a period of 25 years.
Payment to the consortium will be via a series of equal payments spread over 25 years. These ongoing payments will be subject to deductions for failure to meet the prescribed performance standards and will ensure the consortium remains accountable for the operational performance of the road over the 25-year period.
The members of the three consortia that have bid for the project include:
• Irtibaat Consortium – comprising global banking, financial, advisory, investment and funds management services firm Macquarie Capital Group; equity participants Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Construtora Norberto Odebrecht; construction firms N V Besix and Al Jaber Transport and General Contracting; Transfield Services International, provider of operations maintenance and asset management services; and design consultant Mouchel Middle East.
• Mafraq Motorway Group – comprising European construction group, Strabag SE; UAE civil engineering and building contractors, Saif Bin Darwish; Construction group Joannou & Paraskevaides; Concession Operations, J&P Avax; and Egis Projects.
• MTD-CSCEC Consortium – comprising international infrastructure developer and civil contractor MTD Group; China State Engineering Construction Company; and UAE contractor Ghantoot Transport.