A canal – but not like one you’ve ever seen before
Plans for the construction of 75km-long man-made waterway in Dubai have been unveiled at a cost of $11 billion.
The Arabian Canal will be up to 150 metres wide and six metres deep and be able to handle boats up to 40 metres long.
The project will take around three years to complete, with work due to start in December.
The project – claimed to be largest and most complex civil engineering project ever undertaken in the Middle East – will create a waterway flowing inland from Dubai Waterfront, passing to the east of the new Dubai World Central International Airport before turning back towards Palm Jumeirah.
Saeed Ahmed Saeed, CEO of development company Limitless, said: “It will involve digging and moving more than a million cubic metres of earth – enough to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools – every day.
“The project will create life in the desert. It will be a globally-recognised landmark destination for UAE residents and visitors, with public spaces for leisure and community events as well as a number of mixed-use developments, in addition to the waterway itself,”
The project will involve marinas, residential communities and business centres serving more than one million people, according to the company.
It is being designed to be a focal point for Dubai’s cultural attractions and community events.
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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