UAE | Traffic and Transport
Expressway to ease Dubai-Sharjah chaos
The long-awaited project to ease traffic congestion on Dubai's most congested road Al Ittihad Road between Sharjah and Dubai was launched yesterday.
- By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 March 20, 2006
Dubai: The long-awaited project to ease traffic congestion on Dubai's most congested road Al Ittihad Road between Sharjah and Dubai was launched yesterday.
Construction of the Dh700 million project will start in two months and will be completed in two years.
The improvement and expansion of Al Ittihad Road, which is used by more than 8,000 vehicles per hour commuting between the two emirates, covers a 7.5km stretch starting from Dubai-Sharjah border up to Al Garhoud Bridge in Dubai.
It will be turned into an expressway with a capacity of 12,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.
More lanes
The new 13-lane Al Garhoud Bridge will link it with Shaikh Rashid and Shaikh Zayed roads ensuring smooth traffic flow through Dubai.
"The plan, called Improvement of Al Ittihad Road, aims at ensuring smooth traffic flow especially between Al Nahda Interchange [popularly known as Al Mullah Plaza roundabout] and Al Garhoud Bridge the most congested part of the road, which witnesses massive traffic jams during peak hours," said Engineer Mattar Al Tayer, Executive Director of Dubai Roads and Transport Authority.
The project will include improvements on five key interchanges with the addition of eight bridges and at least four more underpass lanes at nodal tunnels which are currently bottlenecks.
Easing gridlocks
On completion of the project, motorists travelling from Sharjah to Dubai will not get stuck in traffic jams for hours at Al Nahda and Al Qiyada and Airport Intersections on Al Ittihad Road, Al Tayer said.
"Our comprehensive plan to improve Al Ittihad Road is part of an integrated traffic and transport management project recently approved by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai."
This project, he said, will complement the growth and development of Dubai and will also provide solutions to the current and future traffic and transport needs.
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