UAE Bridges at Risk in Very Strong Earthquake Zone

According to the Latest Globe of Natural Hazards Report Released in August by Global Reinsurance Company Munich Re, the UAE has the Potential to Produce "Very Strong" Earthquakes of up to 5.9 in Magnitude. Earthquakes at This Intensity can Seriously Damage not Only Poorly Designed Structures, but Also Well-Built Structures

DUBAI, UAE, September 3, 2010 - Bridges construction within the Middle East has remained relatively
strong over the past year's representing valuable business opportunities for
consultants and contractors. Indeed, the tendency of designing iconic bridges
with complicated and long structures have lead to an increasing understanding
of the importance of building sustainable and durable infrastructures.
Maximising long-term value for investments implies therefore careful
selection of key bridge components and use of modern technologies.

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Ensuring the durability of bridge structures and limiting the maintenance
works requires an understanding of the impacts of the region's hostile
climate on bridges structures. The earthquake risk should also be taken into
serious consideration when building bridge structures. This leads to an
increasing need for understanding requirements on bridge components and on
the latest practices and technologies available on the market.

IQPC's Bridges Middle East (www.bridgesme.com) will provide
practical knowledge on the latest practices and future trends in bridge
design, construction and maintenance. Taking place at the Beach Rotana in Abu
Dhabi between 24 and 27 October, this annual meeting will bring together
government authorities, private developers, consultants, contractors,
engineers, material suppliers, architects and designers to share
best-practices for designing and building sustainable and durable bridges
within the Middle East region.

With the patronage of Abu Dhabi Municipality and the official support of
the Ministry of Public Works of Kuwait, government officials will provide
updates on the ongoing bridges projects and discuss their strategic vision
for future infrastructures development. Specific bridges developments across
the region will also be analysed, such as the Subiya Causeway, Sheikh Zayed
Bridge, Isa Town Gate Interchange, interchanges in the Dammam Area in Saudi
Arabia and Al Mafraq Interchange.

Facilitated by Abu Dhabi Municipality and High-Point Rendel, an exclusive
site visit of the Sheikh Zayed Bridge will give the opportunity to explore
the architectural concept of this landmark structure and examine how the
construction challenges have been overcome.

The conference will be chaired by David Ball, Chairman of the Concrete
Bridge Development Group and President Designate of the Concrete Society.
Attendees will benefit from four days of industry-leading presentations,
interactive panel sessions and exclusive workshops from key industry
stakeholders including: Abu Dhabi Municipality, Ministry of Public Works
Kuwait, RTA, COWI Dubai, Atkins, EC Harris International, Ministry of Works
Manama Bahrain, Arup, RFR Paris, Hyder Consulting Middle East, Karlsruhe
Institute of Technology, Al Ain Municipality and Saudi Consulting Services.

Bridges Middle East confirmed sponsors and exhibitors who will be
participating include: Archirodon, AST-VSL, Mageba, Parsons, NASA Structural
Systems, Arminox, Zublin, MK4 Meps, Eco, Trelleborg, Maurer Sohne, Earth Tec,
GTI, Elite Road Supplies Company and Pitchmastic.

Further details can be obtained at www.bridgesme.com

Contact: Olivia Modisakeng, Marketing Manager, +971-43602814

Contact: Olivia Modisakeng, Marketing Manager, +971-43602814