Success Story | CDM Smith Inc. Improvement of Dubai-Al Ain Road (Contract 1)

CDM Smith Inc.

Houston, TX. USA

Project

As the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai’s roads need to accommodate a significant flow of traffic. A 67-kilometer, six-lane major highway connects the two major cities of Dubai and Al Ain and serves a link between remote local communities and private developments with downtown Dubai. Therefore, it is an important piece of infrastructure for the Emirate. When the highway required two phases of improvements, CDM Smith was tasked with being the engineering and construction firm for the first contract of phase one, which included constructing two interchanges.

Solution

To enhance the designs and provide better visualization to project stakeholders, CDM Smith chose an integrated design suite to successfully deliver the design-bid-build project. The team began by developing a single 3D design model where multiple disciplines could collaborate simultaneously. The first interchange would be upgrading an existing cloverleaf design so that it is a fully directional, free-flow interchange. Current bridges would be replaced to widen the road and provide more room for traffic. The second proposed interchange would be a brand-new, free-flowing structure that would utilize an existing left-turn ramp bridge. Once the roadway was designed, it was important to design new, updated stormwater structures. As the region can experience severe flooding during rainy seasons, this practice would ensure that the roadway was protected and help reduce flooding impact on the structure.

 

Outcome 

By working within a single model on a platform that supported enhanced collaboration, CDM Smith streamlined the design time to save 50% in design hours, allowing the organization to allocate fewer designers to the project. However, despite the shortened timeline and limited resources, the project team still provided an accurate design with minimal errors and reworks. This high-level of quality allowed team members to deliver the project on time and within budget. CDM Smith presented a roadway design that will alleviate the current traffic congestion and promote road safety by eliminating traffic weaving between major road corridors while also maximizing capacity. These benefits will all help strengthen the link between the two cities of Dubai and Al Ain.

Software 

OpenRoads was used for the 3D design and modeling of the highway in a collaborative environment, streamlining the design of the complex interchanges under a tight schedule and with maximum efficiency. The team was able to limit design reworks, allowing them to meet the project’s allocated budget. OpenFlows SewerGEMS was leveraged to design the stormwater assets, and the application helped the team provide an accurate, integrated design. LumenRT’s rendering capabilities helped improve visualization of the design while OpenRoads ConceptStation helped evaluate different design scenarios to determine the estimated costs.

 

 

Facts

  • As the engineering and construction firm, CDM Smith needed to add 5 kilometers of road to connect the Dubai-Al Ain highway to three other major roadways to better link local communities with downtown Dubai.

  • OpenRoads was used for 3D design of the highway, creating a single model for better collaboration and helping save 50% in design hours while still providing a high-quality design on time and within budget.

  • CDM Smith presented a roadway design that will alleviate the current traffic congestion and promote road safety by eliminating traffic weaving between major road corridors while also maximizing capacity.

 

quote"OpenRoads enabled the CDM project team to work collaboratively across multiple disciplines to design complex interchanges with maximum efficiency. With a savings of more than 50 percent in design hours, the project team was able to provide an accurate design with minimal errors and reworks while meeting project’s tight schedule and budget."  

Mohamed Momtaz Abdelal
Highways Design Lead
CDM Smith Inc.CMD Smith Logo