The plan for major design-build projects of railway link among countries in gulf area (GCC) and freight rail construction is recently announced, but Korean companies have a hard time tendering due to special geotechnical condition in the Middle East. The major geotechnical risks during railway construction in the Middle East are related to ground improvement of soft Sabkha ground, wind-blown sand mitigation measure, dune sand compaction, and construction of large-scale cut and embankment. In this study, the characteristics of special geotechnical condition and potential geotechnical risks during railway construction in the Middle East are discussed on the basis of field observation, literature review, and field and laboratory test results.
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