Dubai spent $38bln on roads, transport in 15 years: RTA

The government of Dubai has spent over Dh140 billion on the improvement of roads and transport infrastructure since 2006, a top official said on Sunday.

The emirates Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) brought about massive infrastructure improvements over the past 15 years.

The length of the road network increased from 8,715 lane-kilometres in 2006 to 18,255 lane-kilometres in 2020, said Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA.

The RTA used cutting-edge smart systems and 4th Industrial Revolution technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things, to broaden traffic coverage, he said at the inaugural session of the 18th International Roads Federation World Meeting and Exhibition. The event was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council.

Al Tayer added: The government of Dubai has made sustained investments in improving infrastructure and transportation, which it considers a key driver of economic growth and development. These investments have led to the UAE being ranked first in the quality of roads worldwide in the 2013-2017 period, according to the Global Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum.

Abdullah Al Mogbel, IRF global chairman, said: The pandemic caused changes in the movement of people and goods in the recent past. It required non-traditional solutions to ensure the smooth movement of goods, especially food and medicine. Throughout the pandemic, the transport sector was resilient enough to adapt to the unprecedented conditions to provide transportation services for societies.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com