Abu Dhabi: In a bid to improve the standard of living in the capital city’s main suburbs, a Dh2.2 billion project has been launched to develop road, infrastructure and park projects in Khalifa City.
The projects will include maintenance and installation of lighting on internal streets, construction of pavements and parking lots, widening of main roads and the conversion of roundabouts into signalised intersections, an official source at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City announced in a statement sent on Monday. In addition, the stormwater network in the area will also be upgraded, while dedicated cycling lanes will be set up.
“The largest part of development works [are aimed at] developing the infrastructure, given the urban expansion witnessed [in the area]. This expansion] calls for an enhancement of electric, water and sewerage networks,” the source said.
As a result, 72 extra transformers will be built across the neighbourhoods to serve the needs of residential and commercial users. These infrastructure developments will be completed in phases, starting from 2015 until mid-2019. Street lighting works will finish during 2015, the municipality statement said.
The suburb is one of the capital’s major new residential areas and, due to affordable rents, it has seen hordes of people relocate here over the last few years. This relocation is set to continue as Abu Dhabi’s new commercial ventures and developments expand outwards to areas near Khalifa City, including Al Raha and Al Bandar.
In addition to the two roads that currently lead into Khalifa City, a pair of new exits and entrances will also be created. One will be situated on the E10 highway between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the other at an intersection with Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street (Airport Road). In addition, the street that lies adjacent to Masdar City will be widened into four lanes in both directions.
According to the municipality’s plan, parking lots will be set up opposite each residential villa and commercial building. These will ensure that roads are free from congestion created by parked vehicles.
In the past, Khalifa City has suffered from waterlogging. As part of the new development phase, this concern will be tackled via pipelines that can drain the groundwater into the stormwater network. At the same time, three pumping station will be constructed to upgrade the network and efficiently remove rainwater.
Over 70 kilometres of road will also witness extensive landscaping, while footpaths will be built across the neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, cycling lanes will link commercial and residential neighbourhoods in order to enhance mobility within Khalifa City. Some of these will be located mainly near Al Raha Gardens, the Commercial Centre, Street 20 and Street 26.
To provide for leisure and family entertainment, three public parks were set up in the area last year. In this second phase of development, up to four other parks will be integrated into the suburb.
Residents welcomed the new projects, saying that they would greatly improve their quality of life.
“In the last few weeks we have seen a lot of waterlogging on the streets. In addition, the lack of proper footpaths poses a risk to the many children who live in the villas here, so the new projects sound very promising,” said Mohammad Hassan, a 27-year-old aircraft simulation engineer from India who has lived in the area for more than two years.
In addition to the infrastructure development, the municipality last year announced a series of community centres that will provide easy access to amenities and such as gyms, retail options and banking services.
