International Firms Vie For Saudi Arabia's 136-km Highway Project
Saudi Arabia's Roads General Authority (RGA) has revealed that 69 companies have submitted bids for a significant highway project connecting the Aseer region to Jazan. Among these, 37 are international firms, including Acciona Construccion from Spain, AtkinsRealis from Canada, Webuild from Italy, and Bouygues Batiment from France. Indian construction giant Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Korean majors Samsung C&T and Hyundai E&C are also in the mix.
The project spans 136 km and is being executed by RGA in partnership with the National Center for Privatization & PPP (NCP). It follows a design-build-finance-operate-maintain (DBFOM) model. The highway will feature three lanes in each direction, stretching from Al Farah in Aseer to the Red Sea through Jazan. It will include six intersections, 57 bridges totaling 18 km, and 11 tunnels extending 9.2 km.
Other international contenders include Investcorp Infrastructure Investments from the Cayman Islands, AK Consulting Engineers from the US, Egis Projects from France, Intertoll International from the Netherlands, Mota-Engil Europe from Portugal, Swiss group Pini, Plenary Group from Australia, Edgenta Arabia from Malaysia, Salfo Engineering & Management from Greece, and Limak Group of Companies from Turkey. Chinese groups CHEC and China Railway 18th Bureau Group are also participating.Regional heavyweights vying for the contract include UAE-based Contrax International DMCC and Bahrain's Lamar Holding. Kuwaiti groups Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting, Gulf Investment Corporation, and Combined Group Contracting Company are also in the race.
Local Saudi Firms
A total of 32 Saudi firms have joined the competition. Leading names include Nesma, Saudi Binladin Group, Ajlan & Bros Holding Group, Al Bawani, Sapac, Sajco, Mowah, and Vision Invest. Other notable participants are Abdul Ali Al-Ajmi, Al Gihaz Holding Company, Al Jaber Contracting, Al Yamama Asyad Holding Company, Awj International Contracting Company, Buhur for Investment, GCLA Engineering Consultancy, Mada International Holding, Modern Building Leaders, Masco, Najd Roads Contracting, Rio Arabia, Safari Company, and Samaya Investment Company.
RGA stated that once the contract is awarded, the entire project will be completed within 30 years. The new highway aims to enhance road capacity between Aseer and Jazan regions. This will support tourism and logistics sectors significantly.
The highway project is expected to bolster Saudi Arabia's position in the Global Competitiveness Forum's road connectivity indicators. This contributes to the Kingdom's ambition of becoming an international logistics hub.
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