Work on the Dubai Water Canal project is well on track, and is now 61% complete, the UAE state news agency WAM reported.
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was given a tour of the progress of work on the canal, which is set to link Business Bay with the Arabian Gulf in a 3km route passing through the historic heart of the city. Sheikh Mohammed inspected the excavation works completed so far and bridges constructed on Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl Road, and Jumeirah Road.
As part of the megaproject, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed construction of an eight-lane bridge on Sheikh Zayed Road in the Abu Dhabi-Dubai (north) direction, one kilometre in length. Construction works for the southbound bridge in the Dubai-Abu Dhabi direction will begin in a few days after diverting traffic to the northern bridge, in order to make way for the remaining excavation works for the canal.
“Work on the Dubai Water Canal Project is progressing according to the approved timeline, while completion rate of bridges on the Sheikh Zayed Road has topped 70%,” said Mattar Al Tayer, RTA chairman.
The bridges on the Al Wasl and Jumeirah roads are 67% complete, and are expected to be opened by the end of July, Al Tayer added. “The completion rate of the excavation works for the canal has reached 52% and drilling works are set for completion by the end of September 2016,” he said.
Sheikh Mohammed also reviewed designs and models of three pedestrian bridges to be constructed at the Dubai Water Canal, as well as design options for a walkway, running track, and sitting areas overlooking the canal, along with lighting and landscaping works.
Lighting units will be controlled via smart apps, and the entire area will be monitored by smart surveillance cameras, which will transmit footage of pedestrians to a site control hub. The cameras will be capable of identifying individuals through face-recognition technology, Al Tayer said.
The two banks of the canal will feature property and urban development projects, with a floor area of 4.7 million sqm, comprising 5,345 residential units and 948 hotel rooms.
The project will include the following districts: Gate Towers, Jumeirah, and Peninsula (Beach).
The Gate Towers project will encompass a three-level mall built with a floor area of about 300,000sqm, featuring 434 retail outlets and restaurants. The roof of the mall has been designed as a green park. In addition, the district will also include a five-star hotel, hotel apartments, and branded apartments.
Other property developments on the Canal include four residential towers linked with Safa Park, consisting of about 500 retail outlets and restaurants, and 1,141 residential units.
A manmade peninsula will be built along Jumeirah Beach Park as part of the project, which will double the park’s beachline, it was reported.
On account of the massive scope of work required for the Dubai Water Canal project, construction works have been split into three contracts; the first, which costs AED580 million ($158m), comprises the construction of a bridge of eight lanes in each direction on Sheikh Zayed Road above the course of the Canal.
The contract for Phase II of the project, costing about AED 384 million ($105m), includes constructing bridges on Al Wasl and Jumeirah Roads across the Water Canal. The contract also includes construction of bridges that will link to the proposed peninsula to the south of Jumeirah Park.
The AED 802 million ($218m) contract for the third phase includes digging the canal, building its sides, and extending it from Sheikh Zayed Road all the way through to the southern part of the Jumeirah Beach Park. The contract involves construction of three pedestrian bridges linking the two shores of the Canal, as well as four marine transit stations. Phase III will also include land-filling works to build the peninsula along Jumeirah Park.