Egyptian construction mogul Hassam Allam bags contract to build country’s first vertical-lift bridge

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The Egyptian authorities have again awarded Hassan Allam Roads and Bridges, a subsidiary of Hassan Allam Holdings, a contract to build the first dual railway vertical-lift bridge in Egypt. 

The development comes barely three months after the group bagged a contract from the Egyptian government to provide irrigation services in selected areas nationwide. 

In November 2021, the firm secured its first-ever project in Jordan — the construction of a 250-kilometer sewage line and 4,825 collection basins in the country. 

Found in 1936, Hassam Allam Holding is one of the largest privately owned corporations in Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa, with proven expertise in engineering, procurement and construction, building materials and utilities. 

The firm was founded by Egyptian construction tycoon Hassan Allam. 

According to information gathered by Billionaires.Africa, the project will be situated along the Nile Barrage area, crossing the Nile River in Damietta Branch. It will connect the Qalyubiya and Menoufiya governorates, passing through Qalyub, Menouf and Tanta.  

Driven by a passion to boost the country’s infrastructural network, the construction firm noted that the bridge will support heavy trucks when completed. It assured citizens of its capacity to undertake the project, stating: ”It has been heavily engaged in prominent transport projects shaping Egypt’s landscape including the Cairo Metro Line 4 and the Light Rail Transit System.”

The project, which will require about 2,200 tonnes of steel, spans 1.35 kilometers. It consists of 16 onshore concrete panels and three offshore structural steel panels over the course of navigation. 

Describing the project, Construction Week reported: “The main intermediate offshore panel will form the movable part of the bridge using the hydraulic vertical lifting mechanism. The onshore concrete part consists of 17 axes using the slab on piles system with a total length of 280m. The overall length of the offshore steel panels is 210m. The third part of the railway bridge will be constructed using the earthwork embankment method to connect the existing rail line to the bridge. The length of the embankment is 839m.”