Dubai Expo 2020 Site Works To Be Completed By 2019- Committee

All major construction activities on the Expo 2020 site are targeted for completion by 2019, allowing for a full year of readiness testing across networks, systems and technologies, the Expo 2020 Preparatory Committee said in a statement.

Expo Village, which is a residential development providing full-time housing facilities for staff from participating countries in the Expo is targeted for completion in 2018.

Pavilion construction activities are scheduled to begin following the completion of Expo Village, the committee revealed in its update about the master plan for Expo 2020.

Dubai also needs to submit a mandatory registration dossier to BIE by 2015. The dossier is an in-depth report on the theme, communications programmes and the detailed master plan of the mega event.

Site readiness activity will commence early next year in the Dubai Trade Centre-Jebel Ali area to prepare for full-fledged construction once the dossier receives approval in late 2015, the committee said.

The 438-hectare site includes a gated 150-hectare Expo area and a surrounding residential, hospitality and logistics zone.

Catering to 250 participants, Dubai will also present a one pavilion for one country policy for the first time in World Expo history.

In addition, the Expo area will be divided into three zones, which will be dedicated to sub-themes of mobility, sustainability and opportunity, converging at the central Al Wasl Plaza, the committee said. Each zone will have an entertainment venue and a specialised theme pavilion.

“The sheer level of detail that has already been developed for the master plan means that we are significantly advanced with the requirements for the immediate next stage of delivery and well on-track to ensuring timely and holistic implementation,” said Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre and Expo Preparatory Committee member.

“It has undergone substantial review and feasibility, from optimum land usage and sustainability targets to infrastructure planning, transport forecast modelling, and the seamless incorporation of Dubai Smart City’s principles for a completely integrated participant and visitor experience.”

The committee also said that it will try to maximise the use of public transport to deliver visitors to the site. The extended Red line of Dubai Metro will have a station at the Expo site to encourage the use of public transport.

Dubai will also launch a bespoke zero-emission bus service from various pick-up points across the city to the site.

“At these pick-up points, passengers will undergo ticket checks and security screening prior to boarding the ExpoRider buses in operation, eliminating the need for further checking when they reach the Expo site to facilitate faster processing through the entrances,” the statement said.

At its peak, the Dubai Expo 2020 exhibition site is designed to accommodate up to 300,000 visitors with average week-day attendance estimated at 153,000.

The six month long mega event is expected to create 275,000 jobs over the next six years with a notable boost to the emirate’s GDP.