Video: Dubai Expo 2020 site takes shape, construction to be done by October

The Expo 2020 site in Dubai is rapidly taking shape with construction now in full swing.

All major construction works at the site – spread across 4.38 sqkm – are slated to be completed by October 2019, one year before the opening of the six-month long expo.

More than 60 million working hours have now been completed at the site, Dubai Media Office revealed on Twitter on Monday. It also shared aerial footage of the site, showing progress of the construction work.

لقطات جوية تظهر مدى التقدم السريع في العمليات الإنشائية المتواصلة في موقع إكسبو 2020 #دبي.
تم إنجاز أكثر من 60 مليون ساعة عمل لحد الآن في الموقع الذي تبلغ مساحته 4.38 كيلومتر مربع، وسيتم الانتهاء من كل أعمال الإنشاء الرئيسية بحلول أكتوبر 2019، قبل عامٍ من افتتاح إكسبو 2020 دبي. pic.twitter.com/MxY3afeOMS

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 4, 2019

Located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South, the expo site features three thematic pavilions – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.

They are the sub-themes of the expo, which is themed ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.

“Major construction is on course to be completed by October 2019, leaving plenty of time for testing and preparation ahead of the grand opening,” senior vice president of real estate and delivery, Ahmed Al Khatib, told Gulf Business last year.

Read more: Dubai Expo 2020: Two year countdown begins

Last week, Expo 2020 Dubai also awarded a Dhs169m contract to develop 29,000 sqm of public spaces at the site.

The deal was awarded to Dubai’s Arabtec Construction – which has already won two contracts from Expo.

The contract includes a 5,000 sqm water feature, restaurants, utilities and landscaping elements at the public spaces, located next to Expo 2020’s centrepiece Al Wasl Plaza.

Read: Dubai contractor Arabtec wins Dhs169m Expo 2020 contract

The expo – the first to take place in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) region – will run for six months from October 20, 2020 until April 10, 2021 with representation expected from 190 countries.

The event expects to see 25 million visits with approximately 70 per cent of the visitors projected to come from outside the UAE – the largest proportion of international visitors in the 168-year history of World Expos.