Emaar Misr, a subsidiary of Emaar Properties, has begun construction of a new road infrastructure development that will connect Uptown Cairo, its master-planned community, to key destinations in central and greater Cairo.

The EGP250 million ($44.9 million) Emaar Drive Project will directly link Uptown Cairo to the 6th of October bridge and the Ring Road.

The phase one of The Emaar Drive Project will enhance ease of access of travelers coming from West Cairo areas such as Mohandessin and Zamalek through 6th of October Bridge, to the last exit landing on the extension of Ramsis Street, said a company statement.

The new road will connect directly to Uptown Cairo’s main gate on the Nasr city side. The trip time from the 6th of October Bridge exit to the Uptown Cairo gate through the new road will be less than three minutes, it added.

Phase two of the road project will link Uptown Cairo to the ring road and New Cairo through Shaheed Highway, and will be completed by 2011.

This also complements the Government’s plans to move government entities to New Cairo to overcome the congestion and space constraints in downtown Cairo and facilitate commuting to and from central Cairo to New Cairo.

The first phase of The Emaar Drive Project is scheduled for completion later this year. This is to ensure the road is ready for Uptown Cairo customers, who will receive their homes in the first phase of the development in the coming months.

Hazem Ashery, general manager, Emaar Misr, said that one of Uptown Cairo’s main attractions is its ideal location.

“Uptown Cairo is the only new development being built in Central Cairo. No other project can offer the same location advantage as that of Uptown Cairo, and The Emaar Drive Project brings the community even closer to the centre of Cairo,” he added.

The Emaar Drive Project will consist of two roads of three lanes, together sprawling a length of over 3 km. The first phase one is a 1.5 km long and 37 m wide road while phase two is a 1.5 km long and 48 m wide road.

Together, the roads are expected to serve over 5,800 vehicles daily, currently commuting to and from key areas in central and New Cairo, Ashery explained.

The three-lane roads are built to international standards and specifications and will be built and maintained by Emaar Misr. The company will undertake daily cleaning and yearly asphalt works for the road in addition to monthly sidewalk landscaping and lighting maintenance.

With 2,000 construction workers and engineers on site, construction is progressing rapidly at Uptown Cairo in preparation for handover of phase one of the project in the coming months.

Work has begun on the interior finishing of residential units, as external work is reaching its final stages. Final touches are simultaneously being added to the Golf Clubhouse interior, which will also open shortly.-TradeArabia News Service