Residents along Abu Dhabi's Corniche are complaining about the incessant noise of rumbling bulldozers and trucks, buzzing motors, and the banging of giant cranes that have turned the once neat seaside road and its fish-abundant waters into mountains of earth and rocks, a spider web of tunnels and ditches, and a massive scrap workshop.
Amateur fishermen who used to enjoy their hobby during serene evenings along the concrete and metal barriers topping the quiet azure Gulf water, have been deprived of their sport as most of the nearby water has been buried and replaced with piles and pits.
Their fishing lines and the remains of small sea animals that had invaded the nostrils and scarred the resort sea path, have now completely disappeared and stray cats no longer cross over under the cover of night from nearby houses, attracted by the smell of dead fish.
Just a couple of kilometres deep into the sea, bulldozers and trucks can also be seen ploughing daily into a small strip of land just opposite Abu Dhabi's sea front which is dotted with massive towers that dwarf most buildings in the internal part of the city.
But what is irking the residents now will eventually make their feelings take a U-turn, as such projects are set to change the face of Abu Dhabi city, enrich its aesthetic look, create more recreation outlets for people, and turn it into one of the biggest fun centres in the region.
A stretch of water more than three kilometres long and 150 meters wide along the famous Corniche road has already been buried and the second stage of a massive expansion and improvement project involving construction of facilities has just been launched.
It is normal that such enormous projects will cause irritation and impatience for nearby residents and revellers as construction works take a long time to complete and involve messy and noisy activity.
But what matters is where and how all this work will end up.
The answer is provided by civic authorities who are supervising such projects.
It is simple: Let those people be patient and see how all this toiling and digging will turn the city into a real Disneyland and a fun centre on a par with international entertainment facilities.
Apart from road expansions on the Corniche, the construction work that has just been launched involves building of parks, restaurants, flyovers and underpasses, a heritage village and a museum.
The project on the nearby man-made Lulu Island is equally important and could surpass that of the Corniche as it will turn into an immense fun centre, a large animal reserve, parks, aquariums, and other facilities.
Flanked between the two projects is the fast growing breakwater that has become a major attraction centre for residents as it houses a heritage village, a marine sports club, a chain of ship restaurants and the sprawling Marina Mall shopping centre.
The ship restaurants are real dhows donated by President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and one of them sets sail almost every night to take its customers on a short but romantic cruise into the calm waters that glitter with the reflection of the city lights.
"The Lulu project includes man-made lakes and ponds, parks, recreational and entertainment facilities, and areas reflecting the traditional lifestyle of the country," said Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Information and Culture.
"This mega project has been designed to make the island a natural wildlife sanctuary where animals, which include deer and oryx, live peacefully and breed without disturbance," he said in reply to a question by a visitor to the UAE Interact website.
Regarding the Corniche project, he said work is under way to expand the seaside road to ensure free flow of motor traffic, provide more parking lots along the road in the City Centre, and modernise the recreational areas along the Corniche by setting up gardens and other attractive recreational and entertainment facilities.
According to Sheikh Abdullah, the Corniche road on the Western edge of Abu Dhabi, is around 6.5 kilometres long and 100 meters wide, including traffic lanes, parks and pedestrian paths, and the new project will expand that width by at least 150 meters.
"The project will include the expansion of the Corniche road from Al Khaleej Al Arabi crossroad straight to the Mina Zayed instead of its present end. Recreation grounds along the road will be double its present size upon completion of the project," he said.
"Apart from linking the Corniche road directly to the Mina Zayed which would ease the usual traffic congestion on the Corniche road, there will be a tunnel for traffic from Al Salam road, going left to the Corniche road, instead of the present traffic lights which control traffic going toward the Corniche road. Another tunnel is being considered on the Corniche to Mina Zayed road to avoid disruption of a free flow of traffic."
Engineers said work involving burying the water along the Corniche has been mostly completed and the second phase of the project covering construction has been launched.
Dredging was carried out by the National Marine Dredging Company as a subcontract offered by BM for Engineering and Construction, which won the main contract.
BM, a joint UAE-Turkish venture, was awarded the Dh180 million Corniche contract by the Abu Dhabi Municipality and it involves dredging, reclamation and construction of roads to be completed by mid 2003.
The next contract for the third stage of the project covering building of parks, mosques, shopping malls, and other recreational facilities will be awarded in 2003.
Abu Dhabi municipality sources estimated the total costs of the three projects at more than Dh700 million, far less than the multi-billion dirham Lulu City.
"If you just see the final designs, you will realise that this project and the Lulu project will change the face of Abu Dhabi and turn it into a major tourism and recreation attraction centre. When it is over, you will not be able to recognise the Corniche," a source said.
Abu Dhabi's Corniche, which stretches from the Sheraton to the Hilton Hotel, has been through several stages of development since oil was discovered in the emirate in the early 1960s.
Massive investments have been pumped in to turn the seaside road from a sandy stretch dotted with litter and tar into a vast, green avenue enveloping most of the city.
Visitors to the project can now see a real mess. Mountains of earth mingle with newly dug canals and strewn giant steel bars to resurrect the old image of that narrow, sandy road.
As the sun sets, the serenity of the night is jolted by the banging of giant cranes digging holes that will apparently house the magnificent pillars of the structures to be erected.
Most of the road has been fenced off because of the construction work but visitors can almost feel the ground and the nearby buildings shaking as the banging is too loud.
"It is a horrible noise, almost every night," said a Western company executive living next to the Corniche.
"I think we are going to suffer for a while. But let's see what we will have later. I am looking forward to enjoying the new Corniche."
Gulf News 2003
