UAE | Traffic and Transport
Reactions mixed as residents brace for Al Wahda closure
Many residents in Sharjah sacrificed their early morning walk on Monday to ascertain the detours and alternative routes on Al Wahda Street.
- By Sunita Menon, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:22 August 11, 2008
- Construction has begun on some parts of Al Wahda Street in Sharjah.
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Sharjah: Many residents in Sharjah sacrificed their early morning walk on Monday to ascertain the detours and alternative routes on Al Wahda Street.
The two-year closure of Sharjah's main Al Wahda Street for the second phase of road work has been a topic of discussion for many Sharjah residents who live in and around the area.
Interestingly not everyone is glum about the road closure. The news has brought great relief to those living in the Al Nahda and Al Ta'awun areas, who are looking forward to driving on a congestion free Al Ittihad Road.
"I feel sorry for all those people who live in and around the project area on Al Wahda Street, but when I read about the street closure in the local media, it came as such a relief. The first thing I told my husband was how easy it will be to drive on Al Ittihad Road from Al Ta'awun Street minus all that traffic pouring onto it from Al Wahda Street," said Mariam Hussani, an Arab, who lives across from Al Ta'awun Mall.
Some have even gone to the extent of taking the detour located next to Al Falah Plaza.
"There are freshly laid lanes for a detour that runs adjacent to Al Falah Plaza on Al Wahda. I was anxious to know where the detour leads to and how convenient it is going to be for me if I want to take it from next week onwards," said Fahim Ali Hussain, a Pakistani resident of Sharjah who takes Airport Road to reach Dubai via the Sharjah-Dubai Bypass Road.
The stretch of Al Wahda Street which runs in front of the Liberty automobiles showroom has been closed for many months and wears a deserted look with many businesses closing shop and moving to other areas.
Disappointed
"I have almost forgotten how busy this particular street used to be prior to being closed. Now with construction all around, it is deserted.
"We have our regular clients but we have lost on the number of daily visitors who use to enter our shops to check out our latest range of furniture," said a shop assistant from one of the few furniture shops operating on Al Wahda Street.
The Gupta family who moved from Bur Dubai to a two-bedroom flat on Al Wahda, said they were disappointed with all the detours.
"Our building is located near Al Falah Plaza and it is going to be a horrendous two years for each one of us living on this part of Al Wahda Street. In Dubai, it was the rents that made an impact on our standard of living but in Sharjah it is the traffic congestion and now the street closure," said Dev Gupta, an Indian.
Share this article
Related Articles
-
Al Wahda Street closed for two years
Sharjah residents brace for more traffic chaos as key road set to close
More from UAE Traffic and Transport
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
The best reader pictures from around the UAE this week
Latest news
- Dance group brings taste of Korean culture to Abu Dhabi
- EAD studies focus on water security
- Dubai Press Club marks 10th anniversary
- Visitors flock to see latest offerings at Sharjah book fair
- UAE combats human trafficking
- Ministry denies hijacking of UAE-flagged ship
- Saif meets special needs centre users
- Man says he repaid 95% of amount he embezzled
- Dubai saleswoman claims she was duped, raped
- Female clerk, waiter deny drug trafficking charges
- Live hoardings: Ad a glance
- Gem of a woman
- Dewa charges: It's a bitter bill
- Weighty matter: Zap those fat cells
- Recycle your organic waste
Community Reports
-
Help me find my precious cat
Raif, my cute eight-month-old ‘fur ball', went missing in Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen area last month
-
Pavement parking irks pedestrians
Gulf News reader calls on authorities to step in and stop car owners from invading pathways meant for safe walking
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
