Dubai’s massive 100-slot truck stop more than 55% complete
Facilities and testing centre will provide resting place, meet safety needs of drivers
Dubai: The Trucks Rest Stop Project at Dubailand, on Emirates Road, has crossed the halfway mark to 55 per cent completion. This was announced on Saturday.
The announcement came from Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-general and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors at Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai.
The construction of the facility, which is being undertaken in partnership with the private sector, is the first integrated truck-stop zone that will meet all the basic and daily needs of drivers of heavy vehicles across Dubai.
“Al Sahraa Group, the project developer, has completed 55 per cent of the project works, including preliminary processes preceding the construction phase such as obtaining non-objection certificates, levelling the land, protecting utility lines and obtaining the final building permit from the concerned authorities,” said Al Tayer.
He added that the station spans five hectares and includes 100 parking slots for trucks and other facilities to serve the basic and daily needs of truck drivers as well as a specialised technical testing centre for heavy vehicles.
By establishing this station, RTA aims to sort out issues related to the parking of trucks along highways and in residential areas. It will also enable RTA to meet the rising demand for truck stops, considering that trucks make about 145,000 trips and lift about 3 million tonnes of load every day in Dubai, said Al Tayer.
Benefits
“The construction of the station will enhance traffic safety, reduce accidents involving trucks and streamline traffic flow during the hours when trucks are banned from plying, he added.
It will also generate an additional income for RTA through sharing revenues with the investor and offer investment prospects for investors in a variety of fields.
Temporary rest stops
RTA has already constructed 18 temporary truck rest stops on the right-of-way of several vital roads in Dubai with a total capacity of 538 parking slots to provide safe and convenient parking spaces for trucks during the restricted hours of movement.
“RTA attaches high priority to land transport as it is important for the flourishing of the economy and trade. The project supports the Dubai Silk Road strategy encapsulated in the 50-Year Charter of Dubai, and the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. The UAE is a prominent station in the Economic Silk Road and is the gateway to the Middle East and Africa in the project that links the commercial markets in the region,” said Al Tayer.
Studies underway
“RTA had commissioned a comprehensive study of truck movements in Dubai, along with site surveys, interviews and workshops with the departments and companies concerned.
It has also developed a model to predict future truck movements and assessed the need for dry ports and assembly and distribution centres for goods.
RTA has also finalised technical and commercial studies for sites to build permanent truck rest stops — the first is in Jebel Ali Industrial Area 3, near Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road; and the second is at Al Ayyas, near Emirates Road. Private sector tenders for the two sites will be issued this December. These two stations will have all requisite facilities and services.
A study is currently underway for an additional site at Dubai Industrial City, nearby Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road. The tender for this will be issued after the completion of technical and investment studies.