RMD Kwikform was approached to create six bridge structures for the project.

Thanks to continued growth as a global destination, Doha needed extensive development of its road and rail infrastructure.

As part of this development, Ashghal – Qatar’s Public Works Authority – awarded China Harbour Engineering Design and Construction (CHEDC) with a $612.5m contract to build a five-lane, 11 km long bypass in Doha. The project will also cater for a new rail line into the city, connecting with the China Harbour Metro Bridge and intersecting with the southern elevated red-line railway.

Comprising of four interchanges, including the tallest bridge in Qatar, the project saw tens of thousands of tonnes of formwork and shoring put in place to create six bridge structures for the project.

With the largest of the six bridges reaching up to a height of 33 metres and a length of 840 metres, the site team required a robust, safe formwork solution for the project that was both flexible and capable of withstanding the environmental challenges and concrete loading pressures.

With the varying heights and cambers on the interchange sections, RMD Kwikform utilised its Rapidshor shoring system integrated with steel Superslim Soldiers and GTX timber beams to form the shape of the interchange deck structures. As part of the shoring design, RMD Kwikform also developed safe access and egress solutions to support the site teams and shift patterns, in addition to the design of special steel pier formwork.

Commenting on the project and the importance of safety, CHEDC Health Safety & Environment Manager, Eamonn Toland, said: "There are four major interchanges on this project, which are critical to its success. From a health and safety perspective, to create these structures, we had to manage a lot of heavy lifting and working at height tasks, using strict safety controls. This is why we engaged with the RMD Kwikform team early on in the project, as the standard of their equipment and processes delivered confidence to the team.

Equally, we spent time with the RMD Kwikform team designing the access towers for the structures, landing platforms and rest areas for the site. When it came to training and support, we had on-site supervisory support from RMD Kwikform who trained the erection teams and were also responsible for signing off the completed formwork and shoring arrangement, working closely with our safety and structural engineers.

From a technical perspective, the engineering solution needed to accommodate the cloverleaf shape of the interchanges; this required a great deal of integration between the site team and the RMD Kwikform engineering staff. From a design perspective, we also had to consider the positioning of tower cranes on-site and the integration of the phased lifting process."

"Throughout the project, RMD Kwikform also understood and supported our fast-track field action safety talks, helping to highlight safe working and how to work in changing conditions, looking ahead to identify associated hazards. With all of this support, our team developed confidence in the RMD Kwikform equipment, engineering and service, which really helped to deliver the project."

With a large amount of equipment used on site, in addition to site supervision and engineering design, RMD Kwikform provided the CHEDC team with logistical support to meet the challenging timeframe of the project.