Building the Khor Fakkan Road: The 89km Mountain Passage

Building the AED 5.8 billion Khor Fakkan Road required navigating one of the most rugged environments in the UAE. This 89km highway connects Sharjah to the coast, reducing travel time by 45 minutes and linking key towns like Shis, Diftah, and Masafi. While the project features five tunnels, the primary above-ground sections demanded precision engineering and durability. Al Marwan’s specialized heavy equipment for rent was instrumental in this phase, providing the high-performance road-building machinery needed to carve through mountainous terrain while maintaining strict project timelines and budgets.

Speeding Excavation by Energizing Uptime

At the site of the Khor Fakkan road, Al Marwan Construct was digging and blasting their share (27 km) of an 89 km road through mountainous terrain that will connect the rest of the road to Khor Fakkan. Construction crews were working on miles of road, three underpasses, ten water culverts, and ten bridges.

Limited time and resources were key challenges of this major project. This is why hiring an efficient powerhouse such as Al Marwan Machinery was the best way to go, with their highly trained operators and quality heavy machinery available.

Going for maximum productivity, over 243 units of heavy construction equipment were on the site, along with 480+ operators to limit any unexpected downtime. Due to the pressing nature of the project, rotating shifts were in place to cover a total operability period of 24/7, day and night.

“Al Marwan Heavy Machinery has really helped us with the speed of excavation,” said Amer Al Zaiem, Al Marwan Construct project engineer for the Sharjah-Khor Fakkan road building project. “Traditional operation would have taken us a lot longer to finish a major road-building project such as this. Having Al Marwan Machinery allowed us to excavate, blast, and grade very quickly.”

Complex Telematics Support

Al Marwan Machinery also made the high-tech monitoring systems work for them throughout the excavation site.

Adding to the myriad challenges was the fact that the construction sites are located in environmentally difficult areas. At the Khor Fakkan site, for example, the engineers had to account for machinery failures caused by rock-hard mountains adjacent to the road and to ensure that the extreme-duty excavation did not impact the operations on the rest of the road.

This meant that the breakdown of the machinery was a foreseen result. To battle this, a team that supervises operation telematics as well as the operators that monitor the productivity of the machines on site, worked hand in hand to limit major equipment failures.

Al Marwan Machinery has the right mechanics and preventive maintenance available 24/7 to ensure all equipment will work without breakdown. As well as the right number of highly skilled operators with efficient safety training.

Keeping Excavation Going

Al Marwan Heavy Machinery provided several mobile workshops to cover all excavation sites, as well as a standard fixed workshop to accommodate the needs of the large-scale project.

Daily maintenance checks included changing oil for all 240+ machinery, regular machinery upkeep for over-worked equipment, as well as fabricating and supporting the needed heavy equipment attachments as required.

This collaborative work resulted in achieving zero injuries, zero accidents, and zero downtime. These safety standards helped Al Marwan Machinery take the TÜV certification home.

Making History

A commitment to solving problems and providing innovative solutions, along with decades of experience in contracting and engineering, allowed Al Marwan Heavy Machinery to help the stakeholders stay on time and on budget.

1.6 million cubic meters were excavated throughout Al Marwan Construct’s project, and that is no small number when compared to the amount of effort put into realizing this major project for the cities of Sharjah and Khor Fakkan.

“Al Marwan Machinery has been a good partner on a very difficult road-building project,” Al Zaiem continued. “Their support system is very accurate, so it allows us to keep working through daylight and nighttime. Excavation was a lot quicker, and their technical support was efficient, and they’re easy to work with.”

Ready to take your construction project to the next level? Partner with Al Marwan Heavy Machinery for your construction project success. Contact us today for expert construction equipment rental solutions tailored to your needs.

About Al Marwan Heavy Machinery

Leading heavy machinery provider in the GCC since 1978. Recognized as the GCC Rental Company of the Year for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025), Al Marwan is the trusted one-stop shop for construction projects across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. As an authorized dealer for brands like Kobelco, Powerscreen, Dynapac, Sinoboom, Socma, and CIFA, we offer a comprehensive suite of services covering the entire machinery lifecycle:

• ​​New Heavy Equipment: As an authorized dealer, Al Marwan offers access to the latest models of excavators, crawler cranes, crushers, concrete pumps, and more. All new machinery comes backed by manufacturer warranties.
• Heavy Equipment Rental Fleet: Access one of the largest construction equipment rental fleets in the Middle East, featuring 3500 machines and certified operators. This allows clients to scale operations efficiently, minimizing capital expenditure.
• Used Heavy Equipment: We offer a curated selection of used equipment from global leaders like Caterpillar, Volvo, Komatsu, and Hitachi. Each piece undergoes rigorous inspection and maintenance to guarantee optimal performance and reliability.
• Expert Support & Maintenance: Al Marwan provides comprehensive after-sales support and maintenance services to ensure the long-term performance and reliability of your investments.

By choosing Al Marwan, businesses gain a trusted partner dedicated to success and driving progress in the heavy construction landscape across the Middle East and GCC region.