ABU DHABI // Hundreds of people in a Mussaffah workshop have been working hard for three years on a project that will transform Abu Dhabi.
The street signs they are making can cope with winds of up to 160kph, withstand temperatures of 65°C and can even handle unlikely torrential rains.
“Some 450 workers and 50 engineers are working continuously for around three years to make addresses user-friendly and easily accessible for residents, visitors and tourists,” said Eisa Al Mazrouie, executive director of infrastructure and assets at the municipality.
The project, one of the most ambitious ever undertaken by the municipality, will make it easier for people to find addresses, Mr Al Mazrouie said.
Planners believe it will enhance business, reduce pollution and cut emergency response times.
The main workshop is Giffin Traffiks, which takes up 25,000 square metres of Industrial City 3, while another is Electro Industries, in Dubai.
Welders, fabricators, fitters, painters and engineers are working about 12 hours a day to make the signs, which come in three parts: a smartpole, cabinet and the sign itself.
Each pole will hold a cabinet, sign, camera, lights and QR, or quick response code.
The cabinets slot into the poles to carry the signs. There are also decorative, reflective sheets on every pole depicting Abu Dhabi’s heritage.
The QRs provide information on the street and its vicinity. A resident can scan the codes with a smartphone for geographic data and a summary of activities taking place on the street.
“The smartpoles are manufactured in the UAE and are made from material that is both environmentally friendly and economical in the long run,” said Mr Al Mazrouie. “The material used for these poles is recyclable.”
Six different signs are being made, ranging from about three metres to six metres tall.
About 20 of the smaller signs and six of the larger ones are built each day at the workshops.
A 4.5-metre sign made of aluminium and steel weighs 120 kilograms and the cabinet into which it slots weighs 60kg.
The smartpoles are built to carry at least four signs and can easily accommodate new designs.
“Due to the material and design of the pole, the smartpoles are not required to be replaced within a few years, which can be an otherwise expensive process,” Mr Al Mazrouie said.
The signs are made of steel and enamel and built to last at least 25 years. Up to 800 tonnes of recyclable aluminium from Ras Al Khaimah is being used in the entire project.
The new system will reduce reliance on landmarks when giving directions.
“Previously, over 100 streets in Abu Dhabi had similar street names, which created confusion in finding addresses,” Mr Al Mazrouie said.
“But this will now never happen as each street and building will have a unique number and name, which is not going to duplicate in the entire island.”
The Abu Dhabi system is at an advanced stage, while work starts in Al Gharbia this month and central parts of Al Ain in March.
Across the emirate, 12,000 street names, 200 district names and 20,000 road signs will be made and every home will have a unique address by November 2015.
anwar@thenational.ae