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29 March 2024

Abu Dhabi renames 32 main roads

Published
By Bindu Rai

Rolled out earlier this year, the Onwani (My Address) Unified Addressing and Wayfinding System has unveiled 32 new main street names and route numbers for Abu Dhabi city.

While some significant names, such as the Corniche Street, will retain its earlier identity, addresses such as Electra Street will now be known as Zayed the First Street.

As part of the Department of Municipal Affairs’ (DMA) commitment, the Abu Dhabi City Municipality has named its main street in honour of the UAE’s leaders and scholars, while the inner street names will focus on Emirati history or a district’s culture and heritage.

Unique ‘route numbers’ were also assigned to main streets within the island to assist with navigation, with odd numbers remaining the same as before, while the even numbers will now be corrected in a sequential order to ‘anticipate logically the next parallel main street’, it said.  

Aside from every street being given a name, every building will also be assigned an address number within the emirate. 

In a media statement, Dr Abdullah Hassan Ghareeb Al Bloushi, Executive Director-Land and Management Property sector at the DMA said earlier:  “Onwani aims to create the first universal platform for addresses across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Western Region by modernising and standardising the way places are named and located.

“It is designed to provide a comprehensive addressing system to better navigate and find any location throughout the emirate and support our nation’s 2021 strategy and the emirate’s 2030 vision of providing sustainable development.”

These route numbers will be added to selected overhead street name signs fixed to the traffic signals and gantries at the main street intersections.

Corniche Street is assigned route number 1 – the next streets in parallel increasing toward Maqtaa Bridge are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21 etc. 

Khalifa Al Mubarak Street (Al Bateen area) is assigned route number 2 – the next streets in parallel increasing towards Al Reem Island are 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 etc.

Furthermore, each street name will be unique within each municipality, eliminating any repetitive street names within the same city.

This means, to find any location within the city, all that is required is an address number and street name.

As a smart alternative, the QR code on every building address number can be shared after scanning with a mobile phone. 

At its completion Onwani will oversee the implementation of over 180,000 unique building addresses, 19,000 street names, review 240 district boundaries and install 49,000 new street and district signs.

Abu Dhabi city and its surroundings will be the first to receive unique addresses for 70,000 buildings located in more than 6,000 streets.

Some of the notable street name changes include:

Route no 3 will now be called Khalifa bin Zayed the First Street (old name was Khalifa bin Zayed Itigal Street)

Route no 5 is now Hamdan bin Mohammed Street (old name Al Nasr Street)

Route no 7 is now Zayed the First Street (old name Electra Street)

Route no 9 is now Al Falah Street (old name was in part Passport Street and in part Manhal Street)

Route 11 is now Hazza bin Zayed The First Street (old name was Defence Street)