Dubai: A new deadline has been set for the Dubai Water Canal, so we can expect a grand opening by November.
The project started in October 2013, and was scheduled to be completed by the end of September 2016.
#RTA represented by the Traffic and Roads Agency started applying the final touches to the project of the #Dubai_Water Canal (1/3) pic.twitter.com/eNQzA8VHrW
RTA (@RTA_Dubai) September 30, 2016
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai recently announced in a series of tweets, that the final touches were being added to the Dh2 billion project as it gears up for its official launch next month.
The RTA said: "The Traffic and Roads Agency started applying the final touches to the project of the Dubai Water Canal by cleansing the water, removal of the sedimentation and refilling it from the sea. In addition to paving the pedestrian pathways in preparation for the official opening next November.”
Stretching for 3.2 kilometres from Business Bay to the Arabian Gulf, the canal’s width ranges from 80 to 120 metres and will be six metres deep once completed.
The canal is located across Shaikh Zayed Road, Al Safa Park, Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Road.
An artist’s impression of the proposed bridge on Shaikh Zayed Road as part of the Dubai Canal project.
As the canal will add six kilometres to Dubai’s waterfront, this means that there will be more space for recreational facilities, which includes a 50,000 square metre shopping mall, four hotels, 450 restaurants, luxury housing, walkways and cycle paths.
A new shopping and leisure destination will be connected by a bridge, showcasing a variety of restaurants and cafes.
Once the project is completed, officials will start focusing on the installation 18 marine stations, which will allow people to travel from Deira and Bur Dubai to Jumeirah in water taxis and ferries.
The marine transit modes are expected to transport more than six million passengers annually through the canal.
