Transportation will get top priority

The head of Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council updated delegates at the Economic Forum on the emirate’s master plan and said projections show the proposed infrastructure will have to accommodate a population of nearly three million people.

The Abu Dhabi-2030 plan, one of the most ambitious development blueprints in the region, gives priority to transportation, protecting the environment and preserving the city’s Arab and Islamic identity, said Falah Al Ahbabi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, which oversees the master plan.

Speaking at the Abu Dhabi Economic Forum yesterday, Al Ahbabi said the council is in regular contact with property developers in the emirate to ensure compliance with environment standards. He said the construction of a sophisticated transport system is under way, which will allow the expanded city to avoid traffic problems.

“We started the implementation of the development plan nearly a year ago, when the government announced its intention to intensify privatisation in several sectors,” he said.

“Our plan will focus on the need to protect the environment. Abu Dhabi has a rich environment and biodiversity… we want to make sure our development plan, the expected surge in construction work and the projected high economic growth will not affect our environment. Since transportation is the vein of any city in the world, we will give priority to this sector in our plan. We have chalked out a master transport plan that involves building 36 bridges and many tunnels to avoid any transport bottlenecks as we expect a population of nearly three million within 20 years.”