Client:
Abu Dhabi Municipality

Project Duration: December 2001–September 2005

Contract Value:
$200 million

For more than two decades, Parsons, doing business as De Leuw, Cather International Limited, has been the chief roads and bridges consultant to the Abu Dhabi Municipality, designing and supervising construction of more than 80 major road and bridge projects. While Parsons has had other projects in the region, Abu Dhabi’s Transportation and Roads Improvement Program (TRIP) has been, by far, the company’s largest and longest-running program in the region. With a multidisciplinary team and a long history of working with the Municipality, Parsons provides unparalleled quality and service to Abu Dhabi. One example is the New Corniche Road West. Completed in 1998 as a milestone for Abu Dhabi’s TRIP, it immediately improved the city’s transportation infrastructure and urban environment, receiving two prestigious international awards: the 2000 International Road Federation Global Road Achievement Award for Best Design and the 1998 Parsons Transportation Group Project of the Year.

Now Parsons and the Municipality are embarking on the New Corniche Road East, an even more ambitious project. A natural extension of the New Corniche Road West, it is the largest project ever undertaken by Abu Dhabi, combining comprehensive transportation solutions and the expansion of public parks and recreation areas, including almost two kilometers of new waterfront. Through TRIP, Parsons has a locally-based, multidisciplinary consulting ability that far exceeds the abilities of the local competition. That capability, along with Parsons’ work on the New Corniche Road West and long-term performance for the Municipality, were key reasons the Municipality selected Parsons for this fast-track project. Parsons began design in January 2001, the project was tendered in April 2001, and construction commenced in December 2001.

The New Corniche Road East will greatly upgrade the traffic capacity of a major downtown artery; more than triple area parking for park users, businesses, visitors, and residents; and create a public park and recreation facility unequalled in the region. Parsons is the sole consultant on this project. As on the New Corniche Road West, Parsons is providing design and construction supervision for all civil, structural, mechanical, utility, architectural, and landscaping works, as well as safety, quality assurance and testing, and contract administration.

The project extends six kilometers, four kilometers of which have four lanes in each direction to increase traffic-handling capacity by more than 30 percent. The new roadway will initially carry three lanes of traffic in each direction for another two kilometers, but it is designed to be easily expanded to four lanes in each direction in the future.

The New Corniche Road East is being constructed on newly reclaimed land that was dredged from the sea, drained, and compacted as part of the project. The reclamation relocates the shoreline, effectively increasing the size of Abu Dhabi Island, and existing crossroads must be extended to intersection points on the new surface area. These crossroads alone will create three kilometers of new roadway. Several improvements, including three tunnel interchanges, will eliminate congestion at existing intersections and roundabouts. The first, a 640-meter tunnel at a major intersection in the city center, will facilitate traffic movement in all directions. Where the New Corniche Road East crosses the main road to the city’s port, a second tunnel will route vehicles traveling from the port beneath a signalized intersection, greatly reducing the intersection’s traffic load. The third tunnel, near the port itself, will expedite motorist access to the free zone and fish market. New or reconfigured intersections will also streamline traffic movement. The New Corniche Road East will also include one bridge to carry traffic across the channel connected to the lagoon and beachfront of a five-star hotel.

Parking is designed to meet existing and anticipated needs. Adding almost 3,500 new parking spaces along the new highway will increase by threefold the amount of available parking. Where possible, practicable, and advantageous, Parsons designed the new parking areas around the footprint of the existing Corniche Road, close to existing developments, to minimize cost. Other spaces were placed on reclaimed land.

Paralleling the new highway, the Corniche Park will have a contemporary Arab character but will reflect Arab and Islamic tradition. The park will be a natural extension of the island, responding to the social and physical needs of a growing, modern city, while celebrating the culture and vitality of Abu Dhabi.

Based on concepts visualized by Abu Dhabi’s leaders and in coordination with the Municipality, Parsons designed each of the park’s three zones to offer major theme features while providing common public facilities. For example, the Family Zone will include many specialized play areas and open spaces for children; the Central Zone will contain a lakeside park next to a coffee house, formal gardens, a refurbished landmark fountain, and large formal plazas; while the Heritage Zone will feature indigenous cultural elements.

The park will boast 75 water features: fountains, waterfalls, and traditional ornamental irrigation canals. Central to the park will be a 9,000-square-meter freshwater lake with integrated fountains and lights—certain to be one of the park’s most popular attractions. At least 20 new buildings will house kiosks, an amphitheater, courtyards, pavilions, festival and exhibition spaces, restrooms, and picnic areas. The entire park will be landscaped and planted with mature trees and shrubs, and lighting systems will highlight the park’s attractions at night.

The 16-meter-wide seaside Corniche promenade will extend the entire six kilometers of the new roadway. In addition, a four-meter-wide cycling path will run parallel to the promenade, and a four-meter-wide walkway will abut landscaped areas. Eleven pedestrian underpasses will link the seaside promenade with the rest the park, thus eliminating the risks of pedestrian crossings.

Since the late 1970s, Parsons has been the Abu Dhabi Municipality’s prime consultant for planning, designing, and supervising construction of the city’s road transportation infrastructure. In that time, the city’s population has more than quadrupled from under 150,000 to over 600,000, and the standard of living has improved many times over. The transportation system developed by Parsons in coordination with the Municipality and under the guidance of Abu Dhabi’s progressive, visionary leaders has been key to this growth and prosperity. Infrastructure development in Abu Dhabi and throughout the Gulf Region continues to accelerate. With its extensive local experience and dedication to excellence, Parsons looks forward to working with its clients to further enhance the quality of life in the region.

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