Residents of Dubai’s Serena Community have reportedly been enduring the noise from late-night roadworks for months now. On Tuesday, hope came as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) took notice of an expat’s complaint on the social media platform X.
The noise had been “horrendous”, Abbie Watson (name changed upon the villa owner’s request) told Khaleej Times.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
A roundabout is being built to ease traffic in the area where a school and supermarket are also located, she said. Work is ongoing between the Serena and Al Waha communities in Dubailand.
Since the construction started in February, Watson said she and her neighbours had been dealing with the noise, especially whenever it continues until late at night.
At one point, she had to call the police. “One evening, they had machines working from 11pm to 4am on a Sunday,” said the expat, who owns a villa in the community’s Casa Dora.
“I had to move my baby to the front of the villa at 2am. It’s been terrible; literally, the ground was shaking,” she said.
Watson shared a video of the construction works at 7am on a Sunday in March:
Watson shared another video on X on Monday, showing roadworks being done at night. “It’s still happening,” she wrote.
On Tuesday, RTA responded with a resolution – saying “inspectors have visited the site” and the contractor has been told to “avoid late-hour works”.
“The mentioned project is expected to be completed within a week,” the authority said.
After discussing the issue with an RTA representative over the phone, Watson hoped this would finally end their community’s woes. It wasn’t the first time she reported the noise.
She posted about the complaint back in April, but the problem wasn’t resolved and the construction continued.
“We can’t wait for [the construction project] to be finished,” Watson told RTA.