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The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has recently held a workshop on Green Roads Classification System, marking the launch of the trial phase of a fully-fledged Green Roads Classification System in Abu Dhabi in the context of the Municipality’s vision of ensuring a superior quality of life and sustainable environment for Abu Dhabi residents.
The civic body announced the start of a pilot project for using recycled gravel left from demolition and construction works at Bani Yas as raw materials for paving roads, thus precluding the dumping of 60% of demolition waste in landfills.
In an opening speech delivered to the Workshop, which was attended by representatives of ministries, government departments, consultants and developers, Engineer Abdullah Saeed Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Infrastructure and Municipal Assets Sector, said: "Many of the world’s sustainability initiatives could not see the light, but the developmental, agricultural, environmental achievements made in the UAE by our prudent leadership are nothing less than a miracle." "The Green Roads Classification Project aims to improve the policies adopted in the design and construction of road projects to advance their sustainability by adopting the world’s best practices tailored to Abu Dhabi typical conditions," he said. Al Shamsi called on all relevant parties to partner with this initiative, pointing out that the sustainability drive could not be achieved individually, but needs collective and concerted communal efforts.
Al Shamsi stressed that the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City would make every endeavour to realize its vision of ensuring superior living and sustainable environment to Abu Dhabi residents. In this regard, the Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Sector launched several key sustainability initiatives such as the general lighting strategy, which aimed to reduce the power consumption by as much as 75%, and the use of plastic materials in designing and constructing roads project, which was implemented in two phases resulting in saving of AED 27 million, not to mention the environmental benefits of minimizing the use of raw materials in road construction, and cutting down harmful emissions.
"The Sector currently undertakes pilot projects for sustainable infrastructure by adopting best-in-class practices in this field such as the project of re-using asphalt materials in road maintenance, which was successfully implemented resulting in saving of about 80% of materials used in roads rebuilding," continued Al Shamsi.
The Sector also started the application of the Central Control System of Irrigation Networks ’&’ Stations, and Storm-Water Drainage in Abu Dhabi city (SCADA) with the aim of rationing the distribution of irrigation water to ensure the provision of water to all areas, besides automating the operation ’&’ real-time monitoring, and providing direct alarm system enabling prompt response to tackle emergency incidents, thus enabling rapid fixing in the event of water leakage, which saves about 40% of water use.
For his part, Dr. Al Jamal Al Dhareef, Technical Advisor of Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Sector, reviewed the strategy of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City in the field of infrastructure sustainability along with the associated plans of sustainability initiatives, which included subsurface irrigation systems, improving soil treatment, and the recycling of hot asphalt.
"The green roads classification system is based on sustainability criteria throughout the entire project’s lifespan, starting from the planning, designing and construction phases, and finishing up with the maintenance and operation phases. These criteria are built ’&’ benchmarked against internationally certified standards adopted in the United States of America and Europe and will be customized to suit the local conditions of Abu Dhabi city in order to ensure constructing more efficient roads, and using less resources; which in turn will enhance the economic feasibility and conserve the natural resources as well.
"The Municipality is currently assessing two green road classification projects in the city of Abu Dhabi; the first is in Al Salam Street and the second is in Bahya. These two projects will form the base on which the project’s next phase will be launched," added Al Dhareef.
Tim Bevan, Green Roads Expert in the United States, gave a detailed presentation on the green roads system applicable in the United States and Ireland, which was developed through scientific researches carried out by the University of Washington.
He cited examples on how to develop road networks based on green road systems, and reviewed the benefits accrued through these applications.
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