Dubai: Motorists will soon enjoy smoother traffic flow once the key phases of Al Khail Road open for public use in the first half and last quarter of this year, a senior official at Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said.
The Dh1.925 billion Al Khail Road Widening and Improvement Project was approved in 2008 to help ease traffic congestion on Dubai's major roads. Al Khail Road is a 15-kilometre stretch of highway which runs parallel to Shaikh Zayed Road and Emirates Road and provides an important link to new developments and the Business Bay Crossing.
It starts from Bu Kadrah Interchange (Interchange of Oud Metha-Al Khor roads) and ends at Emirates Road near Jebel Ali. It is also an alternative road for motorists to avoid Salik toll gates on Shaikh Zayed Road.
"The importance of the project stems from the fact that it acts as an extension of the Business Bay Crossing, and reflects RTA's efforts to open up auxiliary traffic corridors to Shaikh Zayed Road and Emirates Road as these two roads account for a huge portion of the high traffic movement," said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of RTA.
Inspection tour
Al Tayer conducted an inspection tour of the project and was briefed about its progress.
The RTA divided its biggest project so far into six phases.
Work is currently under way in four phases which includes adding two more lanes to the previously four-lane road.
Phase I of the road project — including the construction of a new interchange to replace the roundabout linking Al Khail Road and Emirates Road and two elevated road links — is almost 90 per cent complete, Al Tayer noted.
"By the end of last September, the RTA opened the widening of Emirates Roads and next June, RTA will open the bypass slopes that serve the traffic movement from Al Khail Road to Dubai and from Abu Dhabi to Al Khail Road," Al Tayer said.
The Dh762-million Phase II project, meanwhile, is 75 per cent complete and is projected to open in the last quarter of this year. In this phase, two new interchanges on Al Khail Road are under way to replace the two roundabouts at the intersection of Al Khail Road with Street 319 and Street 323 at Al Quoz residential area. An elevated road link is also being constructed to connect Al Quoz area and Al Khail Road.
"It [Phase II] is poised to alleviate the traffic congestion in the traffic from Al Quoz area heading towards Al Khail Road through offering an elevated link of the traffic coming from Al Quoz moving in the direction of Dubai," Al Tayer added.
Remaining works
Phase III's widening aspect has been completed while residual works will be done by the end of April. Phase IV, on the other hand, whose completion rate is pegged at more than 50 per cent, will offer a free multi-level interchange to replace the existing roundabouts at the intersection of Al Khail Road and Umm Suqeim Road.
The new interchange will provide easy access to Al Barsha, southern Al Barsha, and Al Quoz Industrial Area.
