Monday, November 03, 2008

Get ready for traffic chaos.

You think Dubai's traffic is bad now? Just wait until the final work on the Creek extension starts!

The RTA has announced the final extension of the Creek from Business Bay to rejoin the Gulf near Jumeirah Beach Park.

This final stage is only just over 2km long...but it crosses Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Beach Road.

A report in Gulf News says that this stage will be carried out in three phases and will be compete by the end of 2010. I hope by 'three phases' they mean that only one road at a time will be affected.

Bridges have to be built, which means some major diversions, which in turn means major chaos.

Just think about SZR. Twelve lanes of traffic, six in each direction, with a 100kph speed limit, to be diverted around a massive bridge that has to be built.

Is there room for the diversion? I suppose there must be but I can't picture it.

From Business Bay the waterway will continue across SZR near Dubai Metroplolitan Hotel and the Emirates building, alongside Safa Park to cross Al Wasl Road, then straight out across Beach Road to the sea near Jumeirah Beach Park.

For those last two crossings surely some villas are going to have to be demolished - not just for the waterway but also for the diversions as the bridges are being built. Both roads are dual carriageways, Beach Road being six lanes and Al Wasl being four.


The story, photos and a map are here.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Actually, Gulf News put it lightly when they said "alongside Safa Park". DM confirmed in March that parts of Safa Park will be demolished in order to make way for the creek.

rosh said...

Am writing a new book! "Less than 5simple ways, to ruin once a beautiful city". Umm..the material is coming off your blog :)

SAVE SAFA PARK!!!

I hope, whomever, had that vision of Bur DXB island, gets skinned alive..umm, sorry, just HAVE to say that!

Alexander said...

Brilliant. Part of me wishes you hadn't thought of this, because now I want to stick my fingers in my ears and go LALALALALALA until you stop talking about it.

Jeekers creepers...

Anonymous said...

How did they manage to make such a mess of the transport system when they started with a virtually clean sheet?

Anonymous said...

Incompetence could also be regarded as a talent, I guess...

Seabee said...

lbug it isn't just the transport system. I complain regularly that the whole of 'New Dubai' could and should have been so much better because they started with a blank canvas. They had nothing to work around, no historic buildings or streets to preserve. They had the perfect situation to plan and create a city which avoided all the problems other cities have. And they blew it.