Al Ittihad Road to be turned into expressway
Al Ittihad Road to be turned into expressway with eight lanes in both directions
Dubai: Work has begun on turning Al Ittihad Road into an expressway and ease the traffic between Dubai and Sharjah.
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded a Dh830 million contract to two companies to complete the road works on a priority basis.
"The project will ease traffic on one of the busiest roads in the city by 58 per cent," said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA.
The project includes development of an eight-lane expressway on a 7.5 km stretch of road between Al Nahda Interchange near Sharjah and Al Garhoud Bridge. There will be a minimum of eight lanes on each side of the road once the construction work is complete in two years.
"Our comprehensive plan to expand and improve Al Ittihad Road is part of an integrated project approved by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to develop traffic and transport infrastructure in Dubai," said Al Tayer.
Infrastructure
"We are developing roads and transport infrastructure to cope with at least three times the population of Dubai," Al Tayer told Gulf News. Dubai's population is about 1.25 million, according to the 2005 Census. He said the RTA means business and all its projects are going on schedule.
The first contract for the project has been awarded to Belhasa Road Constructing Company for a total value of Dh478.56 million, while the second contract has been given to National Wheel J&P Company for a total value of Dh349.66 million.
Al Tayer said the movement of vehicles in Dubai increases by 25 per cent every year and there are about three vehicles for every 10 people. There are more than 640,000 registered vehicles in Dubai.
Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, CEO of the Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA, said the first contract of the project includes the part of Al Ittihad Road between Al Nahda Interchange and Al Sho'lah junction. It includes construction of interchanges and a bridge on Nahda Roundabout [known as Al Mulla Roundabout] and Al Qiyadah Intersection.
She said that the second contract include works located between the Al Sho'lah junction up to Al Garhoud Bridge. It includes construction of a free flow interchange on Airport road. "The project will ease traffic to ensure free flow of vehicles by eliminating all bottlenecks," she said.
