Kuwait threads on Silk Road

kuwait city — Kuwait is building one of the world’s longest causeways to its remote north where it will pump billions into “Silk City”, aiming to revive the ancient Silk Road trade route.

The oil-rich nation is eager to inject life into the uninhabited Subbiya region on its northern tip that has been chosen as the location for Silk City.

The plan is to reinvigorate the ancient Silk Road trade route by establishing a major free trade zone linking the Gulf to central Asia and Europe.

The 36km (22-mile) bridge, three-quarters of it over water, will cut the driving time between Kuwait City and Subbiya to 20-25 minutes from 90 minutes now. Investment in the Silk City project is expected to top $100 billion, and a 5,000MW power plant has already been built in Subbiya.

At a cost of KD904 million ($3 billion), the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah Causeway, is one of the largest infrastructure ventures in the region. It is already nearly three-quarters completed.

Despite the sharp drop in oil income that made up 95 per cent of public revenues, the country has pledged to keep spending on capital projects almost intact. “The causeway project is a strategic link connecting Kuwait City to the northern region,” said Ahmad Al Hassan, assistant undersecretary for road engineering at the public works ministry. He told that in addition to the fully-integrated residential Silk City, other economic ventures are planned for Subbiya and its surroundings. —