Bunya drives ahead towards completion of Reem Island road network

However, through the expert eyes of Bunya's CEO, Tariq Hatim Sultan, an integrated regional road and mass transport system is rapidly emerging. It is one he predicts will be the envy of many other Middle Eastern cities.

According to Sultan, work on the main 25-kilometre road network, which will criss-cross the 870-hectare natural island in the Capital City of Abu Dhabi, is on schedule. Building the roads and utilities infrastructure for Tamouh's, Sorouh's and Reem Investments projects on Reem Island was Bunya's primary mandate when it was established.

"All the key infrastructural components for Reem Island - of which the roads are central - are moving closer to reality," he said. "We are on track to provide effective and efficient regional roads and utilities for Phase I development by the end of 2009."

He adds that the permanent road system is going to be unique in many ways.

"Some six million cubic metres of dredged infill is being used to create a series of raised roads more than five metres above sea level. This will enable utilities such as power, water, telecommunications, gas, district cooling, and sewerage corridors to be quickly and easily installed and ready for all three master developers and their third party developers."

Moreover, the end design will see the combination of aesthetics and function. "Full traffic assessments using the latest technology in traffic simulation software, along with comprehensive environmental studies, have been completed," he stated. "This will result in modern traffic management systems to ensure optimal, smooth traffic flow. It will also be combined with an eco-friendly layout comprising spectacular tree-lined boulevards."

Bunya will shortly unveil the landscaping designs for the boulevards which will feature dedicated, five-metre wide pedestrian walkways and equally generous five-metre wide cycle tracks.

"There is nothing else like it in the Gulf," he says, "The landscaping will form a stunning and efficient addition to the island's natural beauty. Moreover, it will dovetail with the Urban Planning Council's blueprint for the development of a unique, highly functional community that features state-of-the-art public transport systems. This will resolve, from the outset, many of the common issues currently being experienced elsewhere in the region."

More than eleven billion dirhams is being invested in regional and local infrastructure projects alone on Reem Island, which is centrally located between Saadiyat Island, the Capital City of Abu Dhabi, and Suwa Island, the planned home of the Stock Exchange and the future financial hub of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

This amount excludes innovative solutions such as the planned public transport network systems on the island. A Light Rail system is planned to run throughout the island and to be fully integrated with Abu Dhabi via a metropolitan rail system.

"Far from being a dream, the reality is that the corridor to carry the light rail system is already being shaped, and we will be ready to accommodate the system with minimum upheaval, once a few more details have been finalised," Sultan concludes.