Specialist soil improvement works for the Dubai Water Canal project

Intrafor has been chosen to carry out specialist ground improvement works as part of the Dubai Water Canal Infrastructure Package 3 – Canal and Coastal Works. Our scope includes the soil improvement of reclaimed land on an area of 185,000m² as well as pre- and post- verification testing. A combination of soil treatment methods are being executed by Intrafor, ranging from deep vibro compaction to high-energy impact roller techniques.

The Dubai Water Canal scheme involves the construction of a 3km waterway from Business Bay area to the Arabian Gulf. The project includes the construction of bridges, property developments, retail facilities and of an artificial peninsula at Jumeirah Park.

Package 3 is one of the three contracts in which the project has been split. It includes excavation of the water canal, construction of canal walls, associated utilities and infrastructure, construction of four marine transit stations, as well as the bulk filling, soil improvement and marine works to build the artificial peninsula.

Vibro compaction is widely used to improve the conditions of the ground prior to a construction project. Indeed, this technique increases the soil’s bearing capacity, mitigates seismic liquefaction potential and reduces settlement.

Intrafor has been working on this project since March 2016. A pre-survey of the soil conditions has been carried out by Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) to provide information for the vibro compaction design. Post CPTs will be also performed to assess the effectiveness of the ground treatment work. In addition, the high-energy impact roller technique (HEIC) shall be carried out to compact the top 1.5m layer of soil to achieve an in-situ density of 95% maximum dry density (MDD).