Roads and transport projects help save Dh7.25b a year
RTA HAS SPENT DH80B ON DUBAI INFRASTRUCTURE SINCE 2005
Massive improvements to roads and transport projects in Dubai has led to the saving of Dh87 billion in the last 10 years, which amounts to Dh7.25 billion saved per year, which would otherwise be lost in traffic snarls.
Dubai has spent Dh80 billion on infrastructure projects since 2005, announced Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), during the launch of the Projects Management Development Programme (PGDM).
The PGDM was organised by the RTA in collaboration with the Project Management Institute.
Among the major projects of RTA over the last decade have been Dubai Metro, Dubai Tram, expansion of the bus network as well as a major upgrade of the road infrastructure.
The annual loss of time and fuel due to traffic congestion was estimated at around Dh5 billion for 2005.
Since early 2006 Dubai’s road network has jumped from 8,715 lane-kilometres to around 13,000 lane-kilometres by the end of last year.
During the last ten years, RTA rebuilt Al Garhoud bridge, in addition to constructing the Business Bay Crossing, the two bridges combining together to double the capacity of crossings across the Deira Creek.
Drastic improvements
were made to Al Khail Road and Mohammad Bin Zayed Road apart from building multibillion dirham parallel roads in areas running parallel with Shaikh Zayed Road.
Mega projects
The mega projects undertaken by the RTA have contributed to the UAE being at the top of all countries of the world in terms of the quality of roads in 2012 and 2013, according to the Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum.
These projects also contributed to improving the quality of life of residents, with Dubai clinching the first position in the quality of living in the Mena region in 2014.
“RTA’s projects have had a positive bearing on the economy of Dubai, with savings in time and fuel exceeding Dh87 billion between 2006 and 2014,” sal Tayer said.
He added: “Maintaining the achievement and excellent standing achieved by the RTA warrants taking a continual review of RTA’s assessment with the aim of learning and improving business conduct, and identifying lessons learnt from the past besides translating them into a factual reality.”