Publish Date : 17-Dec-2009
Emirate has launched a series of projects to ease congestion and improve transport links by 2017.
Following the launch of Abu Dhabi’s urban development master plan, Plan Abu Dhabi 2030, in 2007, Abu Dhabi’s city planners hoped they could avoid many of the problems of overstretched infrastructure Dubai experienced during its 5 year construction boom. But 2 years on, the authorities are still struggling with a problem that will be familiar to residents of Dubai: traffic congestion. While the government has a series of proposals to relieve the problem for now it is getting worse.
Government figures showed that the number of personal trips taking place on the roads each day is 1.2 million. This is forecast to rise to 5.4 million as the population grows to about 3.2 million by 2030 up from about 900,000 now. If transport development does not keep pace with population growth, the emirate’s Department of Transport says the city’s roads will be at full capacity by 2020.
Revamping the transport system is a key part of Abu Dhabi’s plan to triple its annual gross domestic product to USD 400 billion by 2030. By investing heavily in infrastructure and establishing good local and international transport links, the emirate can start to develop economic opportunities in sectors such as tourism and trade, which depend on an efficient transport network.
Mr John Lee highways and transport planning adviser to the Department of Transport said that a minimum of USD 68 billion is needed to execute all the public transport projects in the pipeline and “a lot more work needs to be done to pin down the cost”.
Highway improvements, an urban metro, a surface tram system, ferries, a port, airport expansion, more buses, air conditioned bus stops and restrictions on taxis in the central areas are all part of Abu Dhabi’s master plan to ease road traffic congestion.
Mr Lee said while speaking at MEED’s Abu Dhabi conference that most of the USD 68 billion would be spent by 2017. Of the total, one third will be spent on the 340 kilometer long light rail transit or tram system, another third on 1,500 kilometers of highways improvements buses and ferries and the remaining third on the 130 kilometers high speed urban metro.
He said that Abu Dhabi will also benefit from the construction of the USD 8 billion Union Railway, which will provide passenger and freight services across the UAE. The master plan will largely be funded by the state, although substantial interest from the private sector is expected on selected projects. The Department of Transport says it hopes the private sector will contribute about 30 per cent of the total cost.
The Department of Transport is currently tendering the design consultancy contract for both the metro and tram schemes. Bids for the tram’s 18 month feasibility study have been received and the contract is due to be awarded early in 2010.
While the emphasis of the master plan will be on public transport systems in Abu Dhabi city, other parts of the emirate including the Western Region, will also benefit from improvements to the road network. Work continues on the USD 200 million upgrade of the Al Ain to Dubai highway, which is due for completion early 2010. The Department of Transport says there will also be 350 buses serving Al-Ain by the end of 2011.
Abu Dhabi’s international transport links will also be overhauled, with a new USD 6.8 billion midfield terminal planned for Abu Dhabi International airport. Abu Dhabi Airports Company is due to issue the tender for the construction contract by the end of the year and the 220,000 square meter terminal should open at the end of March 2015.
The terminal will be able to handle up to 20 million passengers a year and will be the third passenger terminal at the airport. The airport’s passenger-handling capacity will rise from 12 million to 32 million passengers a year.
A more advanced scheme is the multi-billion dollar Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone being developed at Taweelah. Designed to replace the ageing Mina Zayed as the capital’s sea trade hub, it will have an offshore port and onshore facilities.
Although all 5 phases of the project are not expected to be completed until 2028, the first phase should be open by 2012. It will have a container and break bulk terminal, with total capacity for 2 million 20 foot equivalent units a year and 6 million tonnes of general cargo. The four remaining phases will lift capacity to 22 million TEUs a year and 35 million tonnes of cargo by 2028
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