UAE launches West Link project to connect with Qatar, bypassing Saudi Arabia

Published: 27 April 2025

West Link project will connect the UAE and Qatar via Makasib Island

NT Bureau
Doha

The UAE has launched the procurement process for a landmark project to build a causeway to Qatar, bypassing Saudi Arabia, according to a MEED report.

The West Link project involves constructing a 40-kilometer road with two lanes in each direction, beginning near Ras Ghumais and stretching to a ferry terminal on Makasib Island, providing a direct connection to Qatar from the UAE.

According to MEED, several local and international firms submitted their Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) statements on 4 April. The ECI process requires selected contractors to present methodologies for the project along with a design proposal during the initial stages of procurement. The project is being managed by Etihad Rail in the UAE, the report adds.

“Due to the offshore nature of the project, Etihad Rail has opted for the ECI model to receive several methodologies, design proposals, and budget estimates for the project,” sources close to the project told MEED.

In 2005, Abu Dhabi and Doha were reportedly working to establish a joint company to oversee the implementation of a proposed causeway connecting the UAE and Qatar. This crossing was expected to significantly reduce travel times, as current traffic between Qatar and the UAE must pass through 125 kilometers of Saudi Arabian territory. At that time, the causeway was planned to start near Sila in Abu Dhabi and extend to the south of Doha.

However, the project ultimately stalled due to various challenges, including complications with the route, which infringed on Saudi Arabia’s territorial waters.

In June 2017, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar. However, in January 2021, the Al-Ula Declaration restored these diplomatic relations, and economic cooperation has gradually resumed since then.