Matar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has revealed that the Government of Dubai will provide AED 169 billion between 2006 and 2018 as an economic return on its investments in road and transport infrastructure estimated at AED 100 billion. Al Tayer said that these investments contributed to reducing the time and fuel wasted in traffic congestion, pointing out that the benefits to cost ratio for Dubai Metro will reach 2.5% by the end of 2020 and 4.3% by the end of 2030, according to a technical study conducted by a university British.
Al Tayer gave a presentation during the main session of the International Roads Conference 2019 in Abu Dhabi, on the elements of excellence in the management of infrastructure projects, which is one of the most important pillars of comprehensive development and the main engine of the economy, where the UAE invested billions of dirhams to develop infrastructure, and is now Occupying advanced positions in the field of infrastructure quality, and achieved the first place in the quality of roads globally during the period 2013-2017, which enhanced the competitiveness of the UAE in hosting international events such as Expo 2020. He pointed out that the development of the mass transit system in the Emirate of Dubai contributed to G The proportion of mass transit users increased from 6% in 2006 to 17.5% in 2018, while the development of the road network and awareness programs contributed to reducing the road mortality rate from 21.9 deaths per 100,000 population in 2006 to 2.4 deaths per 100,000 population 2018, down 89%.
Al Tayer talked about nine factors to achieve excellence and success in the management of infrastructure projects, including effective leadership, comprehensive strategies and integrated plans, and then the appropriate management model and flexible organizational structure, and speed of decision-making, in addition to providing the necessary funding, governance and control, risk management and challenges, as well as Commitment to the implementation of plans and foresee the future, and the use of modern technologies to succeed projects.
Al Tayer pointed out that effective leadership requires a clear vision and continuous follow-up through meetings and periodic visits, as well as making the right decisions in a timely manner and provides technical expertise based on different sources of information, and the effective impact to achieve the desired results through the ability to persuade at all levels of work. He also spoke about the RTA's experience in implementing the Dubai Metro project, and the role of the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in the completion of the project in the date set for him at the start of the project. He pointed out that this approach has continued to manage major strategic projects such as the Dubai Tram and Dubai Water Canal, and is currently in the “Path 2020” project to extend the red line of the Expo 2020 site.
Al Tayer explained that all RTA projects in Dubai are based on a clear vision of the infrastructure sector based on the Dubai 2021 plan, and witness the continuous follow-up of leadership at the highest levels of the progress of projects on the ground, and that the RTA benefits from various sources of funding, including private sector funding. It also adopts standards of transparency and looks ahead in the field of transport in conjunction with the use of modern technologies.For example, in 2017, the Authority completed the unified control center opened by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. It is one of the largest bitter G control traffic and transport systems in the world, while work is underway to implement the traffic control center in Al Barsha, in order to increase the percentage of the road network in the emirate cover smart traffic systems from 11% currently to 60%.
He reviewed the central elements of building a successful project management system: establishing a project management office, creating a system for project prioritization, managing project programs, managing risks and challenges, implementing an electronic project management system, managing partner relations, managing the life cycle of assets, activating value engineering, and providing platforms. To share knowledge.
As an example of the system of prioritizing projects, Al Tayer said that the system plays a pivotal role in achieving the strategic plan of the Authority, through which the selection of the best package of projects to achieve the strategic objectives of the Authority within the available budgets, based on integrated criteria, and value engineering includes an integrated institutional system. For example, its implementation in the Shindagha Bridge project has resulted in the rationalization of AED 316 million and a 50% reduction in the cost. The arch design has been modified to become an architectural form only.
As for knowledge-sharing platforms, Al Tayer pointed to the Dubai International Project Management Forum, the Dubai International Conference on Autonomous Mobility, the first of its kind in the Middle East and the region, and the Dubai World Autonomous Mobility Challenge, with a total prize pool of nearly AED 19 million.
Al Tayer discussed the most important lessons learned from two major projects carried out by the Authority in the past period, namely Dubai Metro and Dubai Water Canal. He summarized the lessons in the Dubai Metro project in five points: clarifying the responsibilities of all parties involved in the project, and the presence of a qualified internal technical team, and the involvement of the operator. The start of the design phase, the appointment of the safety auditor at the beginning of the project, and the preparation of an integrated timetable for all the work of the project, while summarizing the lessons learned from the Dubai Water Canal project in three elements: the application of value engineering, where the application contributed to save nearly one billion dirhams of the project cost , And partnership with the private sector In order to reduce the burden on the government budget, and taking into account the environmental aspects of the projects where the water quality in the creek was increased by 33% as a result of the Dubai Water Canal project.
Al Tayer concluded by emphasizing the importance of investment in infrastructure, explaining that the Dubai Government's investments in roads and transport infrastructure, which is close to 100 billion dirhams, resulted in saving 169 billion dirhams between 2006 and 2018 as an economic return such as reducing the time and fuel wasted in traffic congestion.
He also stressed that investment should not be limited to infrastructure, but should include investment in human resources, empowering and developing them on an ongoing basis.
Al Tayer stressed that the success and excellence of the projects depends mainly on the role of the leader through a clear vision, direct impact at all levels, and continued follow-up in the field, as stated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. In the field ………. In the field we will continue the process. ”