UAE Bridges at Risk in Very Strong Earthquake Zone

DUBAI, UAE, September 3, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

- According to the Latest Globe of Natural Hazards Report Released in August by Global Reinsurance Company Munich Re, the UAE has the Potential to Produce "Very Strong" Earthquakes of up to 5.9 in Magnitude. Earthquakes at This Intensity can Seriously Damage not Only Poorly Designed Structures, but Also Well-Built Structures

Bridges construction within the Middle East has remained relatively strong over the past year's representing valuable business opportunities for consultants and contractors. Indeed, the tendency of designing iconic bridges with complicated and long structures have lead to an increasing understanding of the importance of building sustainable and durable infrastructures. Maximising long-term value for investments implies therefore careful selection of key bridge components and use of modern technologies.

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Ensuring the durability of bridge structures and limiting the maintenance works requires an understanding of the impacts of the region's hostile climate on bridges structures. The earthquake risk should also be taken into serious consideration when building bridge structures. This leads to an increasing need for understanding requirements on bridge components and on the latest practices and technologies available on the market.

IQPC's Bridges Middle East (http://www.bridgesme.com) will provide practical knowledge on the latest practices and future trends in bridge design, construction and maintenance. Taking place at the Beach Rotana in Abu Dhabi between 24 and 27 October, this annual meeting will bring together government authorities, private developers, consultants, contractors, engineers, material suppliers, architects and designers to share best-practices for designing and building sustainable and durable bridges within the Middle East region.

With the patronage of Abu Dhabi Municipality and the official support of the Ministry of Public Works of Kuwait, government officials will provide updates on the ongoing bridges projects and discuss their strategic vision for future infrastructures development. Specific bridges developments across the region will also be analysed, such as the Subiya Causeway, Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Isa Town Gate Interchange, interchanges in the Dammam Area in Saudi Arabia and Al Mafraq Interchange.

Facilitated by Abu Dhabi Municipality and High-Point Rendel, an exclusive site visit of the Sheikh Zayed Bridge will give the opportunity to explore the architectural concept of this landmark structure and examine how the construction challenges have been overcome.

The conference will be chaired by David Ball, Chairman of the Concrete Bridge Development Group and President Designate of the Concrete Society. Attendees will benefit from four days of industry-leading presentations, interactive panel sessions and exclusive workshops from key industry stakeholders including: Abu Dhabi Municipality, Ministry of Public Works Kuwait, RTA, COWI Dubai, Atkins, EC Harris International, Ministry of Works Manama Bahrain, Arup, RFR Paris, Hyder Consulting Middle East, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Al Ain Municipality and Saudi Consulting Services.

Bridges Middle East confirmed sponsors and exhibitors who will be participating include: Archirodon, AST-VSL, Mageba, Parsons, NASA Structural Systems, Arminox, Zublin, MK4 Meps, Eco, Trelleborg, Maurer Sohne, Earth Tec, GTI, Elite Road Supplies Company and Pitchmastic.

Further details can be obtained at http://www.bridgesme.com

Contact: Olivia Modisakeng, Marketing Manager, +971-43602814

SOURCE IQPC Middle East