Special Features
Dubai Transportation
Dubai City’s population of an estimated 1.086 million at the beginning of 2005 is expected to reach 3 million in 2020, and studies indicate that the number of vehicles on Dubai’s already congested roads will triple in the near future. The unprecedented scale of development outlined above is also putting increased pressure on the system.Dubai Municipality’s annual budget exceeds Dh1.28 billion, with approximately 90 per cent allocated to infrastructure development. The emirate plans to invest over Dh22 billion in infrastructure-related projects in the medium term: Dh16.5 billion is earmarked for the light rail transit (LRT) development, around Dh1.83 billion will be spent on roads and bridges, Dh1.1 billion on drainage and irrigation and Dh2.56 billion on general projects.
Dubai’s road network is under continuous expansion with over 20 major new projects under construction or recently completed, including a 1.5-kilometre tunnel under the airport and a new 12-lane bridge across Dubai Creek. Work on the Dh388 million bridge project began in February 2005. This third bridge is intended to take the pressure off Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Garhoud Bridge, Maktoum Bridge and the Shindagha Tunnel.
A fifth lane will be added on both sides of Sheikh Zayed Road from the World Trade Centre to Al Manara Interchange, and a new network of roads and two interchanges, being built at a total cost of Dh611 million, will provide access to The Palm, Jumeirah and adjacent developments.
Other approved projects include the expansion of Al Awir Road into four lanes in both directions, which should significantly increase traffic-flow on this major arterial road. Both sides of the road and their surroundings have witnessed tremendous development over the past few years, including the construction of a Dh200 million Central Vegetable and Fruit Market, Dubai International City and the Used Car Complex.
Developments at Jebel Ali also necessitate a reworking of traffic plans. When completed, Jebel Ali Airport City (JAAC) will host 900,000 people. With Jebel Ali International Airport (JXB) destined to handle 120 million passengers per year, and Dubai Logistics City (DLC), the world’s first integrated logistics and multimodal transport platform, at its core, Jebel Ali Airport City’s considerable traffic requirements must be streamlined with Dubai’s overall future transportation needs. Investment in public transport is a major component of Dubai’s plans for the future. This service will be vastly improved once the high-tech, driverless, light rail transit (LRT) comes on-stream. Dubai Municipality will now finance the entire project instead of a previously planned 10 per cent.
In May 2005 a contract worth Dh12.45 billion was signed with Dubai Rapid Link (DURL), a consortium of four companies contracted to build the LRT. The consortium also won a Dh1.88 billion contract to carry out maintenance of the project for 15 years. The project will be constructed in two phases over a period of 55 months with phase one taking 49 months and the overlapping phase two requiring 35 months. About 14 per cent of the total civil engineering work is to be carried out underground.
