Dubai's senior highways engineer has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to the development of road transport and safety on roads in the GCC.

Engineer Maitha bin Adai , the CEO of the Traffic & Road Agency at Dubai's Road & Transport Authority (RTA) received the MEED Editor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement at the MEED Awards 2018.

The award recognises the outstanding achievements of Engineer Maitha to further the development of transport in the GCC and her contribution to improving road safety in the region

In a professional career spanning 21 years, Engineer Maitha has played a pivotal role in delivering some of the most innovative transport projects in the region including the introduction of smart road systems in Dubai, the Dubai water canal and Corniche Jumeirah.

As CEO of the RTA's Roads & Traffic Agency Engineer Maitha is responsible for the Agency's AED 3.7bn ($1bn) annual budget and more than 1,200 employees who plan, design, build, maintain, and operate the 12,215 lane Kilometers of Dubai’s  highway system.

The MEED Editor's Award for Lifetime Achievement also recognises the impact of Engineer Maitha's on the success of the UAE and Dubai over the past two decades.

Previously, as Director of the RTA's Roads Department, she was responsible for leading a multi-disciplinary team to successfully construct two of the largest bridges in Dubai's history, the  Gharhoud Bridge and Business Bay Crossing.

Over the past 14 years alone, as a leader within Dubai’s RTA, she has delivered over 170 projects with an estimated combined value of  over AED60bn that have resulted in more than 5,000km of new roads in the UAE, some 450 new bridges and 54 new tunnels.

As Head of Traffic & Technology at Dubai Municipality from 2001 to 2005, she was responsible  for Intelligent Transportation Systems, Traffic Impact studies and transportation Planning.

Engineer Maitha has led several delegations to bring the best international practices in traffic engineering and safety to Dubai.

"It is almost impossible to quantify the enormous contribution to society of the projects delivered by Engineer Maitha and her teams," said MEED editorial director Richard Thompson during the presentation of the MEED Editor's Awards for Lifetime Achievement to Engineer Maitha.

"But probably the most important measure is her contribution to improving  is road safety in the emirates. Over the past 14 years, Eng. Maitha has overseen a huge reduction in road accidents in the UAE."

"Through a series of key positions with various UAE government entities, Engineer Maitha has helped position the UAE as one of the world’s most innovative and competitive economies in the world," Thompson said. "Her work has seen the UAE's road network being recognised as the best in the world in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for the past four years. "