The document discusses several large infrastructure projects around the world and some of the key challenges faced in their implementation. Three projects are summarized below: 1) The Inter-Oceanic Highway Project connecting ports in Brazil and Peru faced risks from varied terrain across mountains and forests, adverse weather conditions, involvement of multiple governments, and environmental concerns over damage to the Amazon rainforest. 2) The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project linking Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China was a $7.56 billion project completed in 2018 that reduced travel time but faced challenges from adverse weather, complex construction over sea and land, and high environmental standards. 3) The Delhi Metro Rail project in India completed

1. Examples of Projects
Prof. Subrata Mitra
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

2. Gulf Countries
• $80 billion, 168 sq. km King Abdullah Economic
City in Saudi Arabia
• Palm islands in Dubai
– Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Deira
• Burj Dubai/Burj Khalifa
– World’s tallest skyscraper (828 mt, $1.5 bil.)
– Kingdom/Jeddah Tower to be the tallest
• Dubai Eye
– Largest Ferris wheel in the world (210 mt)
– Initial budget: $270 mil.; completed in 2021
– Expected to attract 3 million visitors per year

3. Inter-Oceanic Highway Project
• 1617 mile (2602 km) highway connects
the Atlantic ports of Brazil with the port
cities of Peru passing through the Amazon
rain forests and the mountain passes of
the Andes
• $1.3 billion project
• Risks – Varied terrain, adverse weather
conditions, high-powered stakeholders,
environmental concerns

4. Inter-Oceanic Highway Project
• Terrain
– Mountains, forests, narrow or non-existent routes, sea-level to
high altitude (16000 feet), difficulty in carrying materials and
equipment
• Weather conditions
– Rain, extreme cold conditions (-20o C/-4o F)
• No. of governments involved – 12
• Environment – Concerns about the possible damage to
the flora and fauna of the rain forest, $10 million set
aside for environment is inadequate
• No. of local, unskilled workers on the project – 10000
• PPP project – Concession period is 21 years. After that it
will revert to the Brazilian and Peruvian governments

5. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
• $7.56 billion project completed in 2018
• Joint project of three governments - Hong
Kong, Macau and Mainland China
• Hong Kong and Shenzhen, a major global
manufacturing hub are more economically
developed than Zhuhai City and Macau
• Current travel time between Hong Kong &
Macau is 1 hr by ferry and 4 hrs by road
• The bridge will reduce travel time between
HK airport and Zhuhai to 45 minutes

6. Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge
• 18.4 miles with 14 miles of viaducts and
4.2 miles of undersea tunnel
• Longest bridge-cum-undersea tunnel
• Challenges - adverse weather, crisscross
navigation, airport height restrictions, high
environmental standard, tight construction
programme
• Non-dredge reclamation to maintain water
quality, marine life and marine traffic
• Will boost tourism and economic growth

7. Kindergarten in Namibia
• 10 volunteers from Norway travelled 6000
miles to Tsumeb, Namibia to build a
school for orphans and poor children
• The project was a partnership between
SOS Children’s Villages and Norwegian
TV station TV2
• The project was part of a reality TV show –
increased viewership and ratings to raise
money for the charity

8. Kindergarten in Namibia
• The volunteers never met each other
• 1 out of 10 volunteers had experience in
construction
• 1 out of 10 volunteers had experience in
project management
• Different language, culture, climate and
cuisine
– European mindset toward time, planning and
urgency does not work well in Africa

9. Kindergarten in Namibia
– Lack of culinary variety – chefs were asked to
put more spices in food to make it tastier
• Since it was part of a reality TV show, TV
crews were constantly bothering the team
members with interviews
• There were security issues – project team
members were restricted to move freely
• Project was to be completed in 30 days

10. Kindergarten in Namibia
• Project Manager needed negotiation skills
• Initiatives taken to improve community life
– Growing vegetables
– Building ovens to bake breads
– Buying sewing machines for the women
• Improved communication between project
team members and local community
• Increased commitment led to the timely
completion of the school

11. Duke Energy, USA
• Delivers electricity and gas to 4 million
customers every day
• Builds transmission lines and substations
on a continuing basis
• Not only focuses on schedule, budget and
quality, but also addresses environmental
and social issues
• Holds meetings with local communities
and civic authorities for awareness and
receiving feedback on new projects

12. Duke Energy, USA
• Communities may provide information,
which otherwise may not be available
• Alternative route plans are evaluated
taking into account environmental and
social factors
• Local communities are always kept in
touch with during the course of project
• Even small issues such as rerouting to
save trees are addressed to the extent
possible

13. Duke Energy, USA
• Faced a lawsuit from Cherokee Indians for
selecting a location for a substation, which
was close to their “sacred ground”
• Decided to relocate the substation despite
investing time and money
• Could have disputed claims in court, but
the project might have been delayed and
community support might have been lost
• Duke Energy’s efforts were applauded by
Cherokee Indians

14. Delhi Metro Rail Corp.
• $2.3 billion project (total planned stretch is
450 km) to be completed in four phases by
2024
• First phase (65 km) completed three years
ahead of schedule
• Second phase (125 km) completed before
the Commonwealth Games in 2010
• Quite an achievement given that 36% of
govt. projects were behind schedule in
2007

15. Delhi Metro Rail Corp.
• Main problem of time overrun is the lack of
accountability and responsibility
• Consultants, suppliers and contractors are
treated as partners
• Meeting with local people to address their
concerns and garner support
• Transparency and meritocracy in all plans
and procedures

16. Delhi Metro Rail Corp.
• Tenders are settled very quickly, often in
18-19 days
• Tenders are decided purely on the basis of
merit and no influence or political pressure
of any kind is allowed in the process
• Specifications and scope should be frozen
at the beginning of the project and should
preferably not be changed frequently and
substantially at later stages of the project

17. Issues in Mega Projects
• Scope, complexity, financing, politics,
stakeholder management
• Responsiveness to community concerns
• Meticulous planning, budgeting and risk
management
• Coordination and communication among
contractors and workers with multi-cultural
backgrounds
• Addressing environmental issues