ABU DHABI // A Dh5 billion motorway running across Abu Dhabi island is nearing completion after more than three years of construction.
About three-quarters of 18km-long Salam Street is in use with commuters from Dubai already singing the praises of the new route into the city centre.
"The Sheikh Zayed bridge has shaved 10 to 15 minutes off the commute to my office in the Al Nahyan camp area," said Abdullah el Rustom, a property consultant who lives in The Greens, Dubai.
Work began on Salam Street in October 2007, and the project was divided into four contracts.
The impact on most residents was minimal, until work began last year on the last and largest contract, blocking access to the Tourist Club on Al Falah Street.
The roadworks for this phase run from Defence Road to the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank building in Meena, and include a 3.1km tunnel stretching from Al Falah Street to the Meena Port area, through the heart of one of the most densely packed parts of the capital.
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The scheduled completion of the tunnel has repeatedly been put back. Originally slated to open in October this year, it is now expected to be ready by July 2011.
The delay has had a dire impact on the livelihoods of those living around it. For seven years, Abdul Kareem Mozeh has run his car window tinting business, X-Five, from a shop near the junction of Defence Road and Salam Street. Since the work started, he says, his custom has halved.
"When people ask where my location is and I say 'Salam', they say 'khalas' and don't come," he says. "Two years ago I had three shops and too many customers, now I have six shops and half the customers. Maybe if too much problem here, I go to Dubai."
Among the difficulties contractors face is rerouting utilities and upgrading the electricity system. A year ago, as ground was broken on the tunnel, Abdulla al Shamsi, the municipality's director of assets and infrastructure, said: "The utilities crossing Al Salam, that is the challenge because we need to keep all the utilities working while digging underneath."
While residents and business owners in the construction zone have reason to complain, estate agents look on Salam Street as a boon to business.
They hope the road improvements will help new developments in the capital compete with Dubai.
"Places that were considered remote or too far away are more accessible," said William Bewsnap, the head of evaluation for Cluttons estate agency.
He cautioned, however, that road improvements are not always a good thing.
"In theory travel times are reduced, but often if you increase capacity of roads, the number of cars increases to fill new capacity as people use the roads thinking it will be a faster route."
There is also the danger of unintended consequences. Ewan Speirs is the technical director of Quadstone Paramics and designs software that simulates how projects like Salam Street affect the flow of traffic and the movement of pedestrians.
"The Tourist Club reference to me is a classic example of an urban village," he said. An urban village is a self-sufficient, pedestrian friendly community within a city, such as the East Village in New York, SoHo in London or Montmartre in Paris.
"The risk with this project is that by segmenting the Tourist Club area with the new motorway, you create two new urban villages from the once larger area.
"Will one half become the affluent tourist hub and the other the traditional local quarter, and never the twain shall meet?"
smclain@thenational.ae
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Specs
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Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
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Emirates airline – 600555555
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
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'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Scoreline
Arsenal 3
Aubameyang (28'), Welbeck (38', 81')
Red cards: El Neny (90' 3)
Southampton 2
Long (17'), Austin (73')
Red cards: Stephens (90' 2)
Results
2pm Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,800m
Winner AF Al Baher, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner Alla Mahlak, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner Davy Lamp, Adrie de Vries, Rashed Bouresly.
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Winner Ode To Autumn, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4pm Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner Arch Gold, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
4.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh75,000 1,800m
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5pm Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,800m
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Winner Amani Pico, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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