The Abu Dhabi municipality is inviting bids from private investors for the first project to be tendered in a series of highway rest area schemes.

The first lay-by will be located in Ghantoot and is aimed at improving services and amenities for road users in areas where there is currently a high volume of traffic and limited services to meet demand.

The municipality plans to develop a strategic network of rest areas in the capital, which will provide enhanced amenities and services for road users, and improve road safety on major routes.

The authority has identified five strategic locations that will benefit from the improved services. The rest areas will be delivered using private investment, through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) framework model.

Design concepts for the new motorway lay-bys are based on similar best-practice examples adopted on major roads in both Europe and the US, in an effort to achieve the highest international standards.

The deadline for bids is 25 February.