|
Al Ain: Residents and visitors alike will shortly face a number of road diversions in the busy downtown area on Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan I Street, as work progresses on a new flyover.
Demolition of the city's landmark overhead bridge has begun.
The bridge will be replaced by a flyover interchange as part of the the municipality's plan to modernise the city and handle growing traffic.
The downtown facelift will cost Dh312 million and is expected to be completed in 16 months, according to Al Ain Municipality's roads and infrastructure section.
Over the next few weeks a contracting firm will demolish the overhead bridge and remove about 3,500 cubic metres of concrete debris from the street.
With the start of work on the project, road dividers have been placed on the bridge and the service roads along it. Parking lot dividers have been removed and an underground shopping plaza has already been demolished.
The shopping plaza, which had several entrances from different sides, has been filled with sand. Entrances leading to the plaza have been dismantled.
The area under development is in the heart of the city's business area. Gold markets, cooperative societies, hotels, restaurants, banks, and clinics are located around it.
Residents say they fear frequent traffic jams in the area.
"It will be horrible at rush hour, but I think the municipality and traffic police will do their best to maintain traffic flow," said Naresh Kumar Suri, a businessman.
He said the diversions would either eliminate or reduce parking spaces, which would be a nightmare for businesses.
"The project is, however, good for the city and we have to bear with it," he added.
Ahmad Khurshid, another expatriate resident, said the city has witnessed a great increase in traffic due to people moving there from Abu Dhabi and Dubai in search of cheap accommodation.
"The pressure of traffic and road diversions are definitely going to create problems for the city," he said.
He said people simply passing by the downtown area should rather use alternative roads.
"I have chosen several other roads to move between my home and office since I do not want to waste my time in possible traffic jams," he said.
An official at the traffic police department said diversions and alternative arrangements would help reduce traffic pressure and jams in the area.
"People should not be afraid, but they must take alternative roads to move between the southern and northern parts of the city," he added.
The municipality has initiated the project with the aim of keeping up with urban growth while preserving the character and architectural heritage of the city.
Pedestrians
The municipality also aims to make the city pedestrian friendly, with lots of walkways and gardens in the area.
The project plans include some 450 parking lots to serve shops and the public.
An area of 3,000 square metres will be developed with 25 rest areas, able to accommodate some 600 people.
The area will be decorated with paintings and other ornamental items.
|
