First phase of Dubai Canal project 40% complete
Transport authority chairman says work on phase two and three are at 25% and 15% respectively
Phase one of the Dubai Canal project is 40% complete, the chairman of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has said.
The first part of the Dubai Canal project will see the construction of two bridges on Sheikh Zayed Road, comprising of eight lanes each. The Northern Bridge is expected to be open by the end of 2015, while work on phase two and three are at 25% and 15% respectively, Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the RTA explained in a report by Gulf News.
“The contractor of phase one of the project started construction work on the Northern Bridge on Shaikh Zayed Road in the direction of Dubai. Some 50% of excavation work and casting of concrete piles have been completed, and the Northern Bridge is expected to open in the fourth quarter of this year. The construction of the bridge in the direction from Dubai to Abu Dhabi will follow,” Al Tayer said.
Work is also in progress in constructing service roads in the Business Bay area, he added.
Simultaneously, work is also in progress on phase two of the Dubai Canal project, which will see the construction of bridges on Al Wasl Street and on Jumeirah Beach Road. These will include flyovers replacing traffic lights at the Al Hadiqa Street-Wasl Road junction, as well as the Jumeirah-Athar-Wasl roads junction.
Phase three of the project consists of excavation work on a three kilometre long canal, which is well underway. It will connect Dubai Creek from Business Bay to the Arabian Gulf.
Apart from the excavation work, phase three will also include the construction of canal banks, the building of three pedestrian bridges over the canal and the development of four marine transit stations.
It will also include filling works to build a man-made peninsula along Jumeirah Beach Park, doubling the beach line of the park and increase the park area, the executive director of the RTA said.
Work is currently underway to complete the protection of utility lines and the relocation of sewage lines on both sides of the canal, while a sewage pumping station and coast works for the breakwater come under phase three works.
The bridges are being built to ensure smooth traffic flow over the canal, while also allowing boats and yachts to navigate smoothly around the canal on a 24-hour basis. The bridges on Sheikh Zayed Road will span 800 metres, and work on them will include the moving of existing utility lines impacted by the canal, in addition to the lighting and water fountain works planned for the bridge, Al Tayer explained.
Traffic has been diverted on both Sheikh Zayed and Al Wasl Roads, while survey works are being done to place a diversion on Jumeirah Beach Road.
“Work is progressing according to the plan in Phase two of the project, which includes the construction of bridges on Al Wasl and Jumeirah Roads, with a completion rate of more than 25%. Drilling works and casting of concrete piles and columns have been completed for the bridges, while phase two of the traffic diversion is currently being prepared,” Al Tayer said.
He added that excavation works are under way to protect the utility lines in preparation for constructing the traffic diversion on Jumeirah Beach Road.
“Phase two will also see the construction of a multi-tier flyover to link the traffic between Al Wasl, Al Athar and Al Hadiqa Roads in order to ensure full traffic flow upon the completion of the project, replacing the existing traffic signals. Bridges will also be built extending to the proposed peninsula at the southern part of Jumeirah Park. All the bridges over the Dubai
Water Canal will be at a height of 8.5 metres allowing yachts to pass underneath,” he added.
The entire project is expected to be completed by the middle of 2016.
