Progress on the Trucks Rest Stop Project at Dubai Land on the Emirates Road is moving at pace and nearly 55% of the development has already been completed, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced.
The facility is being constructed in partnership with the private sector and is said to be the first integrated truck stop zone that meets the basic and daily needs of heavy vehicle drivers across the emirate.
The project is being developed by the Al Sahraa Group and spans five hectares and includes 100 parking slots for trucks, as well as other facilities to serve the basic and daily needs of truck drivers. A specialised technical testing centre for heavy vehicles will also be included.
The RTA says the station aims to sort out issues related to the parking of trucks besides highways and in residential areas. It will also enable the RTA to meet the rising demand for truck stops, considering that trucks make about 145 thousand trips and lift about 3 million tons every day in Dubai, the statement added.
RTA director-general and chairman Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer said preliminary processes preceding the construction phase such as obtaining non-objection certificates, leveling the land, protecting utility lines, and obtaining the final building permit from the concerned authorities have been fully completed.
He pointed out that the construction of the station will enhance traffic safety, reduce trucks-related accidents, and streamline the traffic flow during the trucks ban timings.
He added, “The project will also increase the engagement of the private sector in the implementation of infrastructure and service projects. It will also generate an additional income for RTA through sharing revenues with the investor, and offer investment prospects for investors in a variety of fields, he explained. It will also improve the quality of public services, and transfer knowledge, expertise and innovation from the private sector to the public sector. In particular, it will offer government employees an exposure to the management and follow-up of this sort of long-term projects undertaken on Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Model.”
The RTA chief pointed out that the project supported the Dubai Silk Road strategy encapsulated in the 50-year Charter of Dubai, and the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative.
“The UAE is a prominent station in the Economic Silk Road and is the gateway to the Middle East and Africa in the project that links the commercial markets in the region,” commented Al Tayer.
According to him, the RTA commissioned a comprehensive study of trucks movement in Dubai along with site surveys, interviews and workshops with the concerned departments and companies. It also developed a schematic model to predict future truck movements, and assessed the need for dry ports, or goods assembly and distribution centres.
Ahead of the project, it also evaluated the policies and timings of the current trucks movement ban and the need for dedicated roads for trucks in addition to all organisational and structural aspects relating to the management of trucks and goods movement in Dubai.
