Dubai: Congestion at five key traffic hotspots in Dubai will ease by early next year as work has begun to ensure free flow of traffic, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Saturday.
Among the spots that will get some relief are Al Khail Road between Meydan and Dubai Mall interchange as well as the Hessa road exit. The other three spots include a Business Bay junction, a new roundabout in Al Mamzar and widening of streets in Al Quoz industrial area.
Elaborating on the expansion work, Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA said that these projects are part of RTA’s strategic plan that provides for examining the traffic in densely populated areas all over Dubai streets.
“The process involves figuring out integrated traffic and mobility solutions, proposing strategic solutions, and identifying the mass transit systems required. It also entails carrying out improvements in road network, and introducing quick and medium term solutions for congested traffic spots,” said Al Tayer.
As part of the solutions a lane will be added to Al Khail Road in the direction of Sharjah in the area between Meydan Road before Dubai Mall interchange, making it a four-lane road.
The additional lane will increase the capacity of this sector of Al Khail Road by 1,800 vehicles per hour.
At the second location on Al Khail Road, the exit at the intersection of Hessa Road will be expanded to two lanes easing the bottleneck at that site.
“Another lane would be added to the collector road parallel to Al Khail Road at the intersection with Hessa Road inbound from the Shaikh Zayed Road heading to Sharjah. This solution would increase the capacity of the road from 1,500 vehicles per hour to 3,000 vehicles per hour, besides improving the traffic flow in that direction,” added Al Tayer.
In Al Mamzar, RTA is building an additional roundabout on Road 46 to offer an alternative for residents to easily exit the area instead of relying on the sole existing exit to Al Wuhaida Road.
“This exit has a high traffic density, which also has a negative impact on Al Wuhaida Road. The new roundabout will allow exiting the area through Road 46 and ease the pressure on the existing exit,” said Al Tayer.
In the Business Bay area, the RTA plans to increase the number of lanes at the intersection of the Business Bay Road with Al Saada Road coming from Shaikh Zayed Road from two to three lanes.
“This solution would boost the capacity of the intersection, reduce the delay and cut the tailbacks, which currently goes back up to the Shaikh Zayed Road,” he noted.
In Al Quoz, three intersections will see expansion work. The number of lanes at the intersections will be increased and service roads will be constructed in some places.
“These solutions would contribute to easing the traffic flow in an area witnessing serious delays due to the intensity of heavy vehicles,” said Al Tayer.
