NKK Jointly Awarded Suez Canal Bridge Contract

A consortium consisting of Kajima Corporation, NKK and Nippon Steel Corporation has been awarded a contract to build a bridge that crosses the Suez Canal at El-Qantara in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The project, financed by a Japanese development grant, is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2001. The total cost of the Japanese portion of the project is ¥11.752 billion (on an exchange of notes basis). The contract signing took place at the Egyptian Embassy in Tokyo in late April.

The contract entails the construction of a cable-stayed bridge 730m in overall length, with a center span of 404m and approach roads. The 160m-high concrete pylons that will support the bridge will be designed to resemble ancient Egypt obelisks. The steel girder of the bridge will soar 70m above the canal, enabling large vessels and oil drilling rigs to pass beneath.

Kajima will undertake construction of the pylons and sub-structures while NKK and Nippon Steel will be responsible for the bridge girder and cables. Construction will be carried out to ensure safe passage of vessels through the canal without interrupting its operations. The Japanese consortium members'abundant experience and high standards of technology in long-span bridge construction in Japan were highly evaluated in the tender.

The canal-spanning bridge is indispensable to Egypt's national policy of developing the Sinai area and will also play an important role in the pan-Mediterranean link road. Upon completion, the bridge will be an important symbol of the peace process in the Middle East. A cable-stayed bridge design was chosen for its grand appearance and to reflect the symbolic status of the area.

While the bridge and pier-supported approach roads will be financed by Japanese development aid, other parts of the approach roads and maintenance roads will be financed with the Egyptian government's own funds.