Dubai: Work on the Dh2 billion Dubai Canal project has begun with digging near Safa Park.
Turkish construction giants Mapa and Gunal Constructions have been awarded the contract to carry out the project, while Halcrow and Parsons have been appointed as consultants by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
A senior official at RTA told Gulf News that the work is currently in the preliminary stage and internal road detours are being worked out near Safa Park.
Some service roads near Safa Park and parallel to Shaikh Zayed Road have been blocked and traffic is being diverted to adjacent internal routes.
A huge chunk of parking area at the eastern end of Safa Park has also been closed and additional parking spaces at an adjacent vacant plot are being provided.
“We are currently scanning for the underground cables and pipelines. Workers have begun digging to find the cables and water pipelines as well as sewage lines. Our idea is to shift the cables and pipelines from the area before we start excavation for the canal,” said the official on condition of anonymity.
The three-kilometre long project will connect the already extended creek from Business Bay area all they way to Jumeirah beach, cutting through Shaikh Zayed Road, Safa Park, Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Beach Road.
Work on the canal is being undertaken through three separate tenders, one of which is for a 16-lane bridge on Shaikh Zayed road. Another tender will be issued for the two six-lane bridges over Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Beach Road, and the tender number three will be to develop the canal.
Though, the early moves for the development of canal are being made, work on Shaikh Zayed Road project will begin at a later stage.
According to the official, the construction on Shaikh Zayed road will begin after elaborate traffic diversion plans are put in place.
“We will make sure there will not be any disruption to traffic. We will begin work on the flyover that will come over the canal on Shaikh Zayed only after making sure the diversion plan is smooth,” said the official, without giving furthers details on the planned detour.
The bridge on Shaikh Zayed Road will be almost a kilometre long and will raise up to 8.5 metres allowing luxury yachts and boats to pass through. A number of marine transport stations as well as jetties will dot at various locations along both sides of the creek, enhancing water transport services in the city.
Ranging from 80 metres to 120 metres depending on the locations, the canal will house various shopping, leisure, residential and commercial centres along both the sides.
The project will transform the 3-km stretch into one of the most prestigious locations in Dubai, with four world class hotels, including a crescent shaped building and as many as 450 restaurants.
Safa Park, which serves as the epicentre of the project, will house a 50,000 square metre shopping mall, six kilometres of beaches and a sprawling 80,000 square metres waterfront walkway and leisure area.
The project will also have separate tracks for jogging and cycling as well as recreational facilities for children.
Set to be ready in three years, the development is expected to further boost tourism in Dubai with an estimated footfall of 22 million visitors.
