Four bridges at the junction of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Dubai-Al Ain Road have been opened by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The bridges span some 2,600m and feature two lanes in each direction and are expected to smooth traffic movement in all directions.
According to a statement, the RTA also opened a two-lane, 220m bridge at the junction of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road and Dubai-Al Ain Road, along with two connecting roads facilitating u-turns for motorists coming from Dubai.
The new flyovers were opened by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council. Sheikh Hamdan then also reviewed the progress of works on the $544m Dubai-Al Ain Road Improvement project.
Sheikh Hamdan was received by Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA. Al Tayer briefed Sheikh Hamdan on the Dubai-Al Ain Project, which aims to improve traffic flow, enhance the link with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, the Emirates Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street.
The RTA said that the upgrades will serve existing and future projects on both sides of the Dubai-Al Ain Road and double the road’s capacity from 6,000 to 12,000 vehicles per hour per direction. The project is also expected to cut the journey time on Dubai-Al Ain Road from Bu Kadra junction to Emirates Road junction, from 16 to eight minutes. The infrastructure project is expected to benefit 1.5m people as it eliminates tailbacks that used to extend 2km, the RTA pointed out.
Al Tayer explained that the total capacity of bridges at the junction of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Dubai-Al Ain Road will increase to 36,000 vehicles per hour per direction, which will streamline traffic movement from Al Qusais on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road in the direction of Al Ain.
A bridge on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road had previously been developed by the RTA, to enable the widening of the Dubai-Al Ain Road from three to six lanes in each direction. The RTA stated that it also constructed service roads on both sides of the road.
The improvement of the Dubai-Al Ain Road Project extends 17km from the intersection of Dubai-Al Ain Road with Emirates Road to the intersection of Bu Kadra with Ras Al Khor Street, the RTA explained. It covers the construction of service roads on both sides to boost traffic safety.
Overall, the project includes six junctions to improve the traffic flow and serve communities on both sides of the road such as the Silicon Oasis, Dubailand, Liwan, Meydan and Dubai Design District. According to RTA, the flyovers extend 6,600m and ramps extend 4,900m in total.
