RTA to construct 3 new marine stations
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced plans to construct three new marine stations.
In high-level talks with the emirate's municipality, the two agencies made the plans as part of their meeting discussing the progress of their Dubai Creek canal and Jumeirah Corniche projects. They stated close collaboration was essential to make sure the proposals went as planned.
The new waterway will run for three km through Safa Park and emerge out at the newly-developed Jumeirah Beach Park. It will feature a marina with the capacity to moor up to 120 boats and a boat lift, similar to the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. Construction work on the project began last February and officials anticipate it will be completed by November.
Officials stated the Jumeirah Corniche scheme will be an upgrade to 14km of coastline, stretching from the Dubai Marine Beach Resort down to the Burj Al Arab. Plans are set to feature a new pedestrian walkway, retail outlets and shaped benches which overlook the beach.
During the talk, the RTA and municipality discussed the water flow in the canal, as well as the actions they would take to ensure it remained of the highest quality. This was in order to make sure the project met requirements set by the emirate's government.
Meanwhile, the two agencies also discussed their plans to transform Dubai's marine transport system. According to proposals, the network will be enlarged in the most highly-populated areas over the coming year. This is to accommodate the growing number of passengers travelling on the water-based transport services. According to figures, over 13 million people used the network over the last year.
Commenting on the scheme, the RTA stated: 'The plan also envisages the expansion of Al Mamzar and the Jumeirah Open Beach to accommodate the Dubai Ferry and the Water Taxi, and the building of a new marine transport station at Al Jaddaf.'
It added the authority would also look into improving the integration of multiple transport systems at the location.