Dubai: Traffic flow near the Rashid Hospital will be smoother in five months’ time with the expected June 20 opening of the Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project, which is now 80 per cent complete, a senior official from Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) said.
“The construction of Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project is part of a master plan aimed to ease the traffic congestion in the vicinity of Rashid Hospital and step up the traffic flow in the area,” Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, said. “Upon the project completion, the capacity of roads within the scope of the project is set to rise to as much as 6,000 vehicles per hour.”
Al Tayer said Dh722-million roads and tunnel project is expected to be fully completed and opened for traffic by June 20, 2013. The project comprises the construction of roads and two tunnels, each comprising two lanes. The tunnels will serve inbound traffic from Tariq Bin Ziyad and Umm Harir Streets and heading towards the intersection of Al Riyadh Street with the extension of the Floating Bridge.
The first tunnel will pass through Tariq Bin Ziyad Street underneath Al Maktoum Bridge while the second tunnel will pass through Oud Metha Park. Both tunnels will merge to form a four-lane street going towards Al Riyadh Street through Rashid Hospital.
RTA also converted the junction of Al Riyadh Street with the Floating Bridge Extension into a four-lane passageway. Part of the project included the widening of Tariq bin Ziyad Street, improving Oud Metha & Umm Harir Streets, and constructing a road to handle the traffic inbound from the Floating Bridge and heading towards Tariq bin Ziyad Street.
“The project contractor has completed all infrastructure works related to DEWA, sewage services and Etisalat as well as the construction works in vehicular and pedestrian tunnels, and the electromechanical works in the tunnels,” Al Tayer said.
To further ease traffic flow in the Bur Dubai area, RTA has undertaken several projects including the Floating Bridge to reduce tailbacks and enhance road capacity with continued urbanisation and traffic growth rates. The project included improving the efficiency of junctions near Al Riyadh Street and adding another lane to Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street and Oud Metha Road.
RTA widened the previously nine-lane Al Maktoum Bridge to 11 lanes. It also added one more lane to the streets leading to the bridge to handle inbound traffic from Umm Harir Street.
