Landscaping and greenery will be included in the road development plans for the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said a senior official.

The RTA, which recently established a dedicated Landscape Section in its Traffic and Roads Agency, has announced it will spend Dh56 million for a landscaping and greenery project for two upcoming interchanges and the new Al Garhoud Bridge.

The RTA will showcase its landscaping and greenery project at the Garden and Landscaping Middle East Exhibition in Dubai from May 13 to 15.

With over 200 exhibitors from around the globe, the show will present a wide range of innovative and creative solutions and products that will be of interest to professionals, contractors and landscape architects alike.

"The landscaping projects not only aim at the beautification of roads but also contribute to enhancing green areas in the city in addition to controlling environmental pollution," said Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, Chief Executive Officer of the Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA. The authority will spend Dh16.5 million on landscaping the 280,000 square metre area at the Arabian Ranches Interchange under construction on Emirates Road. The project will start in January 2008 and will be completed in six months.

It will spend Dh19.5 million on landscaping and greenery on 86,600 square metres along the Al Garhoud Bridge also under construction. The project will start next December and will be completed in four months.

The third major landscaping project will be carried out at the Jumeirah Lake Towers Interchange, being constructed after the Fifth Interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road. About Dh20 million will be spent to turn 380,000 square metres of land into a green area.

Cycling and jogging tracks will also be provided along the city's major roads as part of the RTA's road landscaping projects.

Due to the removal of trees for road expansion, Dubai Municipality has extended its target of achieving eight per cent greenery of the urban area from 2012 to 2020.