Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Jumeirah Islands will be connected by new roads this year, it was announced on Thursday. DMCC, the master developer of JLT, said the new road network will better connect the two communities. Currently, the fastest route between the neighbouring communities takes about 10 minutes. It is a 5.3-kilometre stretch via First Al Khail Street. There is another slightly longer route that cuts through Emaar’s Springs and Meadows area to reach JLT. The community developer did not clarify if the new roads will be a straight route or similar to the existing winding ones. DMCC said it will carry out more landscaping work and add new parking spaces for visitors. As of now, people can pay parking charges by the hour. It is Dh4 per hour while for premium parking spaces the charge is Dh10 per hour for a maximum of three hours. The new plan also includes renovating the lakes in JLT and improving the water quality. The renovation work on the facade of the Jewellery & Gemplex building has been completed and more than 60 new palm trees have been planted after the old ones were uprooted. The palm replacement work will continue in 2022. Several new sports and recreational centres will be created for 100,000 people that live, work and visit the community, DMCC said. Several projects have already been completed, including landscaping improvements at the DMCC and the Sobha Realty metro stations, and the installation of nearly 2,000 low-energy LED lights throughout the community. Four playgrounds have been upgraded with new equipment and shading, electric scooters are available at RTA stations and a three-level shopping and eating space has been added. Saba Tower was the first building to be completed in 2006. Today, the community has five hotels, two universities, 87 commercial and residential towers, parks and running tracks, and more than 600 retail outlets with more than 300 restaurants and cafes. The community is a popular area for renting as it is on Sheikh Zayed Road and prices are cheaper than at Dubai Marina. According to <a href="http://www.propertyfinder.ae/" target="_blank">www.propertyfinder.ae</a>, the rent of a two-bedroom apartment of about 1,000 sq ft starts around Dh50,000 in JLT while in Marina it will cost at least Dh60,000. In June 2020, a new dog park opened near Cluster H. It is mainly for the area’s residents but is also open to people from neighbouring communities and visitors.