Sheikh Mo's Folly

Work is starting on the $11 Billion Arabian Canal in Dubai. This sea level canal will connect the Jebel Ali Palm with the Jumeirah Palm via a 75 km long canal that will extend south past the new Jebel Ali Airport and Dubailand before making a loop back north. The canal will be 6 meters deep and will accommodate vessels up to 135 feet in length. Obviously, this is not intended to be an industrial canal but a land development scheme to provide more "waterfront" real estate in Dubai. The sheikh is well known for his massive construction projects but this one may well be the icing on the cake. In order to build it they will have to cross two major highways, Sheikh Zayed Road and the Emirates Ring Road, twice. It will cross the new light rail system currently under construction. It also may take a piece of two golf courses - Montgomerie Golf Course and the Emirates Golf Club. And there is also the utilities infrastructure that will have to be moved. But these issues have never been a concern when Sheikh Mo has a brain fart. My friend, The Peripatetic Engineer, predicts that the canal will turn into a stagnant swamp because there is not enough tidal range to adequately flush the canal and there is no natural flow. Stay tuned for updates.