Yuksel: Work in full swing on landmark SR1.9 billion BRT project

Yuksel’s General Manager Ahmet Halavuk (right) with Yuksel Chairman Emin Sazak (middle) and Torem Sazak Aydin, internal auditor. (AN photo)

RIYADH: Turkish construction giant Yuksel has started work on “Bus Rapid Transit” (BRT) project worth SR1.9 billion, which will transform the face of the capital city. This leading international contractor has mobilized more than 4,500 workers after breaking ground for the project.
This was disclosed by Ahmet Halavuk, Yuksel’s general manager, in an interview. He was speaking on the occasion of the Turkish national day. Halavuk pointed out that Yuksel Insaat won this prestigious project, which is part of the ambitious King Abdul Aziz Transport System plan powered and supported by Ar-Riyadh Development Authority (ADA).
The project will include the much-needed bus terminals, passenger hubs, parking facilities and maintenance depots. He explained that the “BRT project will include road rehabilitation schemes, construction of 17 stations, 1,353 community bus stops and several pedestrian bridges in Riyadh.” The project will also serve as feeder lines for the metro stations being built in the capital and its suburbs to ease worsening traffic congestion.
“As is typical of BRT systems,” he said that “the new line would allow rush-hour buses to travel in bus-only lanes — specifically highway shoulder lanes with the aim of reducing traffic period and easing the time to commute. The new lines, along with the new transport information management system included in the overall project, will improve accessibility to public transport.”
“Every element of the BRT project is contributing to more efficient, more sustainable and greener transport future for Riyadh,” he said.
Asked about the details of the project, he first thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman for their massive support to build the infrastructure of the Kingdom. He said the BRT project, and for that matter, several similar projects indicate the resolve of the Saudi government to ensure an environment conducive to business...”
“Well-planned and delivered BRT systems with clean buses can provide metro-quality service at a fraction of the cost… this will result in an enormous shift from private cars to public transportation in Riyadh,” said Halavuk, expressing his optimism about substantial improvement in traffic management.
Asked about some new projects for which Yuksel is bidding, he said the “BRT is only a starting point for collaboration. We hope to go beyond the transport sector and continue our collaboration with different entities, including Saudi Aramco, in supporting sustainable development of the Kingdom within the framework of the Vision 2030.” Yuksel has, so far, completed 40 projects in the Kingdom worth over SR10 billion, he added.
Yuksel’s projects in the Kingdom include pipelines, universities, dams, roads and hospitals. “We started working in the Kingdom way back in 1983,” Halavuk said, adding that Yuksel’s technical capabilities, on-time performance, manpower strength and delivery of projects on schedule have impressed the clients not only in Saudi Arabia but across the globe.” Yuksel is a market leader in the construction of dams, marine structures, transport systems and industrial projects worldwide, he added.
The company has finished three dam projects for the Saudi government. Referring to a number of projects, which have been executed for the private sector, he said that Yuksel is also at the forefront of major private sector projects in the Kingdom. It competed for the first stretch of the Abu Bakr As-Siddique Road Development Project in Riyadh this year. It has also implemented projects for King Abdul Aziz University (KAU), King Faisal University (KFU), Madinah-Yanbu Desalination and Power Plant and the Jubail Desalination Plant, among others.
Yuksel is awaiting an invitation for specific projects that Aramco will announce over the coming months and years, he said. Expanding its services, Yuksel has so far contributed to many prestigious projects for clients in the Kingdom, such as Yanbu-Madinah Water Transmission System Phase II, the Riyadh-Qassim Water Transmission System, the Madinah-Yanbu Steam and Power Plant Phase II Lot I and Al-Jubail Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant to name a few.
Yuksel, one of the major companies in the Turkish construction industry established in 1963 in Ankara, has emerged as a major player in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East. “Yuksel played an active role in the development of Turkey’s infrastructure through numerous contracts covering transportation, energy, environmental and industrial projects,” Halavuk said.
The firm expanded its operations into the international construction industry in 1983 and established a local company in Saudi Arabia with the name of Yuksel Insaat Saudia Co. Ltd., he added. The company has been providing its services in 15 different countries since 1963, which places it among the top international contractors around the world. Yuksel Insaat AS today is a well-established contracting entity, matching the highest global standards, offering reliable services with qualified work force, and using world-class advanced technologies.