Trenchless construction: An emerging technology in United Arab Emirates

The development of trenchless methods has gained impetus in the construction industry in United Arab Emirates due to increasing amounts of investment in underground infrastructures that are new, deteriorating, or under capacity. This paper presents the results of a questionnaire survey of trenchless construction methods used by municipalities and contractors in United Arab Emirates. The survey provides an indication of current and expected future trends in the application of trenchless construction technologies including types of technologies employed and percentage of projects that employed trenchless technologies. The survey results indicate that trenchless technology is gaining increasing popularity among contractors and municipalities across United Arab Emirates. The survey results also indicate that trenchless technology is gaining increasing popularity among municipal engineers across UAE. The survey revealed current, and by extrapolation likely future growth, in utilizing trenchless construction methods and the average expenditures of municipalities in UAE for new construction and for rehabilitation.