Dubai: Safa Park’s boundaries have been pushed deeper inside to make way for work related to the Dubai Canal project.
New fences have been erected around the park on the side of Hadiqa Street, several metres away from the road. A new jogging track has also been laid around the fence, with similar specifications as before.
The park’s old fences next to Hadiqa Street and the jogging track that encircled the park were removed a few months ago as part of the realignment work that will further see Safa Park transformed into a sports and recreational hub.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened the jogging track in collaboration with Dubai Municipality, under Part 1 of Phase III of the Dubai Canal project, which also covers digging a three-km long canal.
Excavation work for the canal is under way while work on the other two phases is also in progress simultaneously.
“The canal works have impacted part of Safa Park, which required modifying the boundary wall of the park and constructing a jogging track conforming to the same specifications of the existing track,” said Maitha Bin Udai, CEO of the RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.
She said the new track around Safa Park will be part of the key facilities providing sports and leisure services along the canal.
She added that the area around the Safa Park, which will be at the heart of the canal development will be transformed offering entertainment, leisure and sporting activities.
“This unique urban and tourist project will offer a new lifestyle as the canal will link the Dubai Creek with the Arabian Gulf in a course passing under Shaikh Zayed Road, across Safa Park and enter the Arabian Gulf at the southern end of Jumeirah Beach Park,” added Maitha.
Work on Phase I of the Dubai Canal project began in late 2013, which saw the transfer of all the underground utility lines near the areas of construction. Phase I also involves construction of a 16-lane bridge that allow the proposed canal to pass under Shaikh Zayed Road.
The Dh2 billion project will also see two more bridges built on Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Beach Road, to allow the canal to pass underneath.
The three-km long canal will connect the already extended Dubai Creek from Business Bay to the Arabian Sea.
“Work in Phase III of the Water Canal Project is under way since June 2014 and all construction works are set for completion by September 2016,” said Maitha.
The canal development work includes filling work to create an island on the beach, building a marine barrier around the island to create a beach, constructing marinas for yachts and the water bus, and constructing three pedestrian bridges at key locations to ease the movement of the public and encourage mass transport.
