Dubai's 10-year transport and infra spend valued at $20bn

Dubai's spend on infrastructure and transport projects between 2006 and 2016 amounts to $20bn, the head of RTA revealed

Dubai's spend on infrastructure and transport between 2006 and 2016 was valued at $20bn (AED73.5bn).

Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the board of directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), revealed the Dubai Government's spend during the 10-year period.

Savings of time and fuel, worth $34bn (AED125bn), were also recorded by reducing traffic congestion.

"The rate of mass transit means jumped from 6% in 2006 to 16% in 2016," Al Tayer continued, according to WAM.

"The Dubai Government has pumped billions of Dirhams in this sector and the sustained strategic direction has brought in a quantum shift, evidenced by the UAE being ranked number one in the quality of roads for four consecutive years in the international competitiveness index of Davos Global Economic Forum."

The number of active transport projects in the UAE hit 481 in the first half of 2017, and rose to a value of approximately $88bn (AED325.4bn), according to data revealed by construction intelligence service, BNC Network, this July.

Included in this total are 364 roads projects worth $36.5bn (AED134bn), a total of 39 rail projects worth $33.9bn (AED124.5bn), and 78 aviation and marine projects worth the remaining $18.2bn (AED66.8bn).

Broken down by project progress, 218 projects worth $20bn (AED73.4bn) are under construction, 92 projects worth $29.7bn (AED109bn) are in the pipeline, and 110 projects worth $32.7bn (AED120bn) are on hold, while a further 61 projects, worth $5.2bn (AED19bn), are in the concept or design phase.

Remarking on the data, Avin Gidwani, CEO at BNC Network, said: "With Expo 2020 Dubai nearing, the UAE government is fast-tracking all important road and rail projects to ensure smooth transportation of goods and traffic ahead of the event.

"The completion of all the transport projects is crucial to the success of Expo 2020 Dubai, and will support the country’s bids for more such global events in future."

As per the report, while numerically the transport sector constitutes just 4% of active projects in the UAE, it accounts for 11% of the total estimated value of projects across all sectors in the country.