Abu Dhabi City Municipality said work on its Dh248-million ($67.4 million) Al Zahya Project, being developed in collaboration with the emirate's general services company Musanada, is progressing at a steady pace and is due for completion by mid-2018.

The project underscores the Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities' keenness to upgrade infrastructure to reflect positively on the standard of living and development. It is part of a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing Abu Dhabi's profile as a global metropolitan city, reported state news agency Wam.

The scope of work includes construction of four bridges to connect Al Maryah Island, and nine traffic intersections, it stated.

Al Zahya Project provides a safe environment tailored to serve pedestrians and contributes to easing traffic congestion in the area, said the Wam report.

It aims to upgrade Al Zahya area by redesigning Al Firdoos Street and Street 10, as well as other intersecting streets. It also covers the internal sectors between the two roads where one-way street systems will be applied.

The development works include reconstruction and revamping of roadsides, entry and exit points of streets surrounding hotels, Abu Dhabi Commercial Centre, or Abu Dhabi Mall, among others.

Also included are modifications to all entry points of buildings to match international standards and specifications and abolishing temporary entry points to 73 land plots.

The municipality will carry out significant changes to the car parking in the area to provide an additional 2,048 parking slots, said the Wam report.

The development works also include upgrading the streetlighting in the area to the LED lights system, which will save electricity consumption by as much as 60 per cent.

Upon completion of the development works of Al Zahya, the traffic flow and handling capacity of the area will increase to accommodate the influx of transit vehicles from 4,300 to 4,800 vehicles per hour. It also involves expanding public spaces from 8,300 sq m to 14,200 sq m, it added.