Amusement hub at Corniche

From a narrow, nondescript sandy stretch before President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan took over as the ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate, the city's Corniche is set to turn into the Gulf region's 'Disneyland' when a major development project is completed.

More than one billion plants will be used to give the project a natural touch along with its recreational facilities and modern roads, parks, tunnels and fountains that will ensure the Corniche remains one of the country's hallmarks for a long time to come.

Once completed, the corniche parks will have room for nearly 4,000 cars while a flyover will traverse the Gulf water to give quick access to the Sheraton Hotel and nearby areas.

As the project is expected to completely change the face of the corniche, its old landmark features are also set to get a new face. The famous clock tower, which overlooks the sea at a height of around 30 metres, will be replaced with a new 70 meter tower that will include shopping and recreation centres, museums, fountains and parks.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, the Ruler's Represen-tative in the Western Region and Chairman of the Municipality and Town Planning Department, said: "What we will have there is simply everything.

"Flyovers, underpasses, expanded roads, advanced traffic signals, parks, shops, recreation, fountains, heritage villages and museums.

"There will be a lot of green parks for families. There is an emphasis on greenery. We will have vast green areas including mountains, hills and valleys over there. We want it to become a beautiful landscape for poets, artists and revellers."

Expansion of the Abu Dhabi Corniche, already one of the most prestigious seaside roads in the region, began late last year with the extraction of earth and sand from the seabed to bury the adjoining water that had been a major attraction for amateur fishermen.

Dredging work has almost been completed and an area of around 6.9 kilometres long and 150-200 metres wide has been buried to pave the way for the main construction activity.

Dredging was carried out by the National Marine Dredging Company as a subcontract offered by BM for Engineering and Construction, which had won the main contract.

BM, a joint UAE-Turkish venture, was awarded the Dh180-million Corniche contract by the Abu Dhabi Municipality and it involves dredging, reclamation and construction of roads.

"We will complete this project in June 2003 but it might take little longer as we have been asked to carry out additional work involving the construction of three underpasses," a BM engineer told Gulf News.

"Our contract includes several phases and fields, covering road expansion and construction, land reclamation, putting in more than one billion plants, and setting up irrigation projects covering 500,000 dunums. It is one of the biggest road and park projects in the Middle East as there will be another contract."

Sources at the Abu Dhabi Municipality said the next contract for the second stage of the project would be awarded in 2003 and it involves the construction of shopping centres, recreation facilities, restaurants, mosques, rest houses and other facilities.

"It will be much bigger than the first contract as it involves various modern facilities. The second project could be completed in two years," one source said.

The sources estimated the total costs of the two projects to exceed Dh700 million, far less than the multi-billion-dirham Disney-land-style Lulu City which had been planned to be built near the breakwater at the opposite side of the Corniche, but was later shelved.

Abu Dhabi Corniche is already a key attraction centre for residents as large green parks adjoin the 50 metre main road that stretches around 10 kilometres along the azure Gulf water.

The road that faces the city's facade and stretches deep into the water has been expanded to cope with growing traffic following the opening of the Marina Mall, the Marine Sport Club, the Heritage Village, the Ship Restaurants and other facilities.

Standing aloft among all these facilities and overlooking the sea just across the city's facade is the giant UAE national flag, the tallest flag pole in the world. Officials said the flag would not be affected by the development projects on the Corniche.

"It was installed there to stay," a Municipality official said. "It will remain there as the country's hallmark and a witness to national achievements and Sheikh Zayed's marks."