The improved Al Awir Road will be opened by Dubais Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on 14 July, according to a statement by Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the RTA. The RTA will also open new entrances into International City phase one, which are designed to ensure the smoother flow of traffic into the development.
According to a statement from WAM, the road project was undertaken in collaboration with developer Nakheel, following a traffic study commissioned to study traffic snarls in the area.
The opening of the Al Awir Road Improvement Project (phase one) will contribute to the smooth flow of traffic from International City heading to Downtown Dubai. It included the construction of a bridge with an estimated capacity of 1,000 vehicles per hour, which will ease the traffic pressure on the roundabout at the junction of Al Awir and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan streets. It will be easy for motorists coming from Hatta to access the Dragon Mart and the International City via Al Awir Road, said Al Tayer.
He added, The contractor is completing final construction works in the project that aims to ensure the smooth traffic movement on Al Awir Road from the intersection of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to the roundabout of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Street, and improve the left and U-turns from the International City and Dragon Mart. It involved the construction of a free interchange in the form of a two-lane flyover from Warsan (1) Street to Al Awir Road westward in the direction of Dubai Downtown.
The RTA says it is also working on phase two of the improvement of Al Awir Road and entrances of the International City Project. This part of the project covers improvements on Al Manama Street, upgrading its intersections with Warsan (1) Street, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and the extension of the International City Street (main entrance of International City).
Additionally, the RTA is upgrading the Al Manama-Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road intersection and widening the flyover passing over Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road from three to four lanes in each direction. The firm says the upgrade will increase the capacity of the bridge from 4,500 vehicles to 6,000 vehicles per hour. Other improvements include the number of lanes of slipways extending from Ras Al Khor Road to Sharjah, and from the International City to Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi, from one lane to two lanes. This increase will double the capacity of these lanes from 800 to 1,600 vehicles per hour.
Construction works also include widening Al Manama Street between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and the entrance of the International City from three to six lanes in each direction. This improvement will increase the intake of the road by 1,500 vehicles per hour per lane. Al Manama Street will also be widened from the entrance of the International City to the Academic City Street from two to five lanes in each direction, which will enhance the capacity of the street from 3,000 to 7,500 vehicles per hour.
