Beijing-headquartered China Railway Tunnel Engineering Group has won a $60m subcontract for the tunnelling works on package 1B of the Mid Island Parkway project in Abu Dhabi.

Package 1B entails the construction of a cut-and-cover tunnel to cross the Khor Laffan Channel, which is the area between the Saadiyat and Um-Yifeenah islands.

The tunnel, which will be between 900 metres and 1 kilometre (km) long, is being constructed on a design-and-build basis and will tie in to packages 1A and 1C.

The project is being jointly constructed by a joint venture of local firm Yas Projects (Alpha Dhabi Holding) and Beijing-based China Railway International Group.

In June last year, MEED exclusively reported that Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipality & Transport had awarded contracts for three packages for phase one of the Mid Island Parkway Project (MIPP), as part of the Plan Capital urban evolution programme.

Phase one will start at the existing Saadiyat Interchange, which will connect the E12 road to the MIPP, and will end with the recently constructed Um-Yifeenah Highway.

It comprises a dual main road with a total length of 8km, including four traffic lanes in each direction, two interchanges, a tunnel and associated infrastructure works.

MIPP phase one is further divided into packages 1A, 1B and 1C, which were awarded separately.

The project ownership has been transferred from Aldar Properties to Abu Dhaibi's Department of Municipalities & Transport.

Previously, it was transferred from Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) to Aldar Properties, and the project was included in the Abu Dhabi Investment Office's public-private partnership project pipeline.