Gulf Construction Online - RTA to launch Phase Two of water canal project

UAE Focus

RTA to launch Phase Two of water canal project

01 November 2014

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced plans to launch the second phase of the water canal project as work on traffic diversion at Al Wasl Road nears completion.

The work under Phase One of the main traffic diversion on Al Wasl Road near Safa Park was due to be completed at the end of last month.

The diversion extends about half a kilometre and maintains the same number of the existing lanes in order to avoid any impact on the traffic movement.

The first package of Dubai water canal project is being implemented in three phases.

Apart from traffic diversions, the first package also involves the construction of bridges across the canal on the Sheikh Zayed Road sector where eight-lane bridges rising 8 m above the water level will be constructed in each direction, thus enabling free marine navigation in the canal round-the-clock.

Apart from this, a number of improvement works will be carried out on the main roads network intersecting the course of the canal.

The second phase includes the construction of bridges across the canal on the Jumeirah and Al Wasl roads, comprising three lanes on the Jumeirah Road and two lanes on Al Wasl Road in each direction, in addition to a ramp from Al Wasl Road to Al Hadiqa Road in the direction of the Sheikh Zayed Road.

The third phase includes dredging a 3.2-km-long canal and filling works to create an island on the beach side, besides constructing a marine wall around the island to prepare a sand beach, a marina for yachts and the water bus and three eye-catching footbridges.

Commenting on the progress, Maitha bin Udai, the CEO of the Traffic and Roads Agency at RTA, said the canal project work was progressing well as per the timeline set.

According to her, work has already started on the laying of utility line conduits underneath the path of the proposed canal (mainland side) while protecting and diverting utility lines underneath the traffic diversion path.

“Concurrently with these diversions, construction works will start on the bridge on Al Wasl Road in the direction of Abu Dhabi, once the traffic movement is routed directly through the traffic diversion,” she added.