Direct Road To Qatar: UAE Kicks Off "West Link" Project (Image: X/ ILQLive)
The United Arab Emirates has officially kicked off the process to build a new 40-kilometre highway connecting the UAE directly to Qatar, cutting out the long detour through Saudi Arabia.
Now, the procurement process for the long-awaited “West Link” project is set to directly connect the UAE with Qatar.
As per a MEED report on April 14, the new “West Link” causeway will be a four-lane highway starting near Ras Ghumais and running over the sea to Makasib Island, where it will connect to Qatar. The project is being led by Etihad Rail.
The construction companies from both the region and abroad have already submitted early proposals, showing how they plan to build the road, including initial designs and cost estimates.
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The UAE chose a method called Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) to get strong technical and financial plans right from the beginning, because the offshore parts of the project are expected to be challenging.
The design work and studies on the project’s impact on society, the economy, and business have been going on since early 2024, but Etihad Rail hasn’t shared more details yet.
Due to the complex offshore layout of the causeway, Etihad Rail chose the ECI model to ensure it receives a broad range of technical solutions and cost assessments, MEED reported, citing sources close to the project.
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The idea of a land link between the UAE and Qatar dates back to 2005, when Abu Dhabi and Doha discussed forming a joint venture to build a causeway starting near Sila in Abu Dhabi and ending south of Doha.
The aim was to significantly shorten travel times between the two countries by avoiding a 125-kilometre detour through Saudi Arabia.
However, the project was later shelved due to complications, including concerns over the proposed route encroaching on Saudi Arabia’s territorial waters.
Tensions escalated in June 2017 when the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar, bringing all shared infrastructure projects to a halt.
Relations began to normalise following the Al-Ula Declaration in January 2021, paving the way for renewed cooperation and the revival of regional projects like the West Link.
As per reports, this idea isn’t new—it first came up in 2005, when the UAE and Qatar discussed building a road link to skip the 125-km Saudi Arabia detour and reduce travel time. But political tensions halted the plan.
Ties between Gulf countries began to improve after the Al-Ula agreement in January 2021, which reopened the door for joint infrastructure projects like this, reported MEED.
Work is now moving forward, and the West Link is shaping up to be one of the UAE’s most ambitious cross-border road projects yet.
