Dubai residents looking to pound the pavements will soon have another running option, with a new track set to open in the city next year.
A five-kilometre route, which has dual lanes for runners and cyclists, will be built in Nakheel’s upcoming Nad Al Sheba community, the developer announced last week.
Nakheel has awarded the Dh8.6 million contract to build the track, it added in a statement, with the track set to open early next year.
The route will loop the 1,500-home community, which is located just off Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, near Easy18 Apartments.
The community will also feature outdoor gyms, to help residents keep fit, as well as a mall – which is currently under construction – and a community club with a restaurant, pool, gym and sports courts.
When it comes to the properties at Nad Al Sheba, villas will be made up of four or five bedrooms, and will be available for lease soon.
The cycling track is just one of several planned by Nakheel, with the developer announcing in 2017 that it would invest Dh150 million in 105km of bicycle tracks across its communities in Dubai.
Routes are also being developed in Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Heights and Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Village Triangle and Jumeirah Village Circle, as well as Al Furjan, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens and Garden View Villas, Nakheel said in a statement.
“Our new cycle track network will make cycling more accessible and inspire people to get pedaling as a way to keep fit, socialise and help the environment. Under our plan, people will be able to bike their way to the shops, school and friends’ houses without getting in the car,” Nakheel chairman Ali Rashid Lootah said at the time.
“Our plan will encourage people to take up cycling as a sport and recreational activity, in turn promoting health and fitness among all age groups.”