Saturday, June 26, 2010

Yes, but when?

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid's CNN interview is getting plenty of exposure, especially the 'everything we started, we are going to finish' comment.

I don't doubt it, but the real question for residents suffering from construction fatigue is when.

An example is the Al Sufouh tram line. Nothing's happened for months.




The roads in front of JBR and all the way past Media City, after years of construction, were finished. Then they were dug up. Re-finished. Then dug up again for the tram line.

Then...nothing.

We're left to negotiate several kilometres of abandoned road works.

That's something that clearly hasn't been affected by the meltdown, digging up areas which have, at great expense and to the huge relief of users, been completed.



The same areas are dug up over and over again.

It seems to me that hole digging's one of the very few jobs-for-life these days.


CNN interview.
Projects will be finished.

4 comments:

Ian Davies said...

Hi. Thanks for your interesting observations as usual.

Just one thing. I live in Marina Promenade and they're working on the Tram line every day. I dare say they could work harder (and quieter), but they are doing some things.

In general, I agree with your sentiment in the article though, and I'm sure there's plenty of projects that will take many many years to complete.

Seabee said...

Thanks for that info Ian. I pass a lot of it several times a day and I haven't seen any evidence of any work at all for months. No men, no equipment in operation, no concrete pillars being delivered.

But from what you say it seems something is being done on a section of the tramline at least. You sure it's tramline work and not just the ubiquitous hole diggers?!

Ian Davies said...

Well, most construction projects start with a hole!

They seem to be putting steel girders into the ground in the central reservation of the road running between the Marina and the JBR. I don't know if this is just foundations for the track or if there's going to be anything underground here but there's a lot of emphasis on digging and structural foundations.

I don't think I can post any photos to this blog but some stuff is happening and it is definitely for the tram. It sounds like you live in the Marina so I'm sure you can see it for yourself if you took a quick drive along the JBR road.

Thanks for an excellent blog, by the way. Your views and opinions on Dubai seem to very closely match mine and it is always refreshing to see some balanced views on stuff happening here.

Seabee said...

Thanks Ian. I'll try to have a drive past the section you're talking about to see what's going on.

(I do live in Dubai Marina by the way, but the opposite side).