The World’s Most Harsh Construction Environments,” The discussion revolves around two challenging construction projects: the Roa Research Station expansion in Antarctica and the Etihad Railway in the Arabian Desert, as well as two additional projects in Norway and China.
In Antarctica, a $415 million expansion of the Roa Research Station is underway, with extreme temperatures ranging from 5° to -40°C necessitating the transportation of labor, equipment, and materials from the UK. In the Arabian Desert, the $11 billion Etihad Railway project aims to link the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with construction workers battling extreme heat and sand, and implementing natural barriers like trees to combat the challenges. In Norway, a $47 billion highway upgrade includes the world’s longest and deepest subsea tunnel, facing the challenge of crossing the Sord Fjord. In China, the Tibetan Plateau high-speed railway project, with an average altitude of over 4,500 meters and frequent natural disasters, requires careful management to complete the 1,1800 km long electric high-speed train.
