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Saudi Arabia's Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) plans to implement the kingdom's own version of France’s world-famous Champs-Elysees.
Plans for the ambitious project were announced during the Saudi-French Strategic Partnership for Designing Sustainable Cities for Tomorrow tour in Riyadh by DGDA CEO Jerry Inzerillo, said an Arab News report.
DGDA is spearheading an ambitious $50 billion programme to restore, preserve and celebrate Diriyah as the beating cultural heart of Saudi Arabia with a diverse collection of museums and cultural institutes, hotels and lifestyle, retail and F&B units.
Inzerillo said Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince HRH Mohammed bin Salman wanted to connect the cultural identity and the heritage of Diriyah Gate 1 to the university (King Saud University) in Diriyah Gate 2, thereby connecting the Kingdom’s past and its present with its future.
The project will draw inspiration from Champs-Elysees, but will highlight Saudi Arabia's history and heritage. It is envisaged the avenue will include a contemporary art museum, convention centre, opera house, and mosques along its route.
The boulevard project will fall under the Diriyah Gate 2 project but full details on the scale of the project have yet to be released. According to the authority the project is still in its early stages and has yet to be given an official name, said the report.
“We are now 97 per cent done with the design of what we call Diriyah Gate 1, and we are very advanced in Diriyah Gate 2 and will be starting the design of Diriyah Gate 3 soon in addition to the 60-km Wadi Safar development," said Inzerillo.