Plan to reduce traffic congestion

Abu Dhabi has been implementing a scheme to expand and build roads, flyovers and tunnels throughout the emirate to reduce traffic congestion on key highways.

A key road has recently been reopened after expansion was completed, according to an official source of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The highway links Abu Dhabi with Al Ain and Dubai near Umm Al Nar, and the project is part of the overall scheme that has been designed to ensure free flow of traffic.

The project, costing around Dh 150 million, was launched in 2000 and is expected to be complete by next April. It involves a main flyover and other smaller bridges, a tunnel and more than 13 km of new roads.

"The project is very sensitive as some roads pass through oil and gas facilities. The contractors are in the process of building five other bridges to by-pass those facilities to ensure their safety," the source noted.

According to ADCCI, Umm Al Nar is the base for one of the biggest oil refineries in the region and more hydrocarbon projects have been planned for the area, which is around 25 km from Abu Dhabi city.

"It is a strategic project that will largely boost the traffic capacity of personal and industrial loads on the roads leading to Dubai and Al Ain and northern emirates," said the source.

Studies have shown that roundabouts are obstructing traffic flow on highways and they will be replaced with crossroads while the new roads will have more lanes. The source said that without an efficient system no economic or industrial growth is likely to happen.

The UAE has given priority to easily accessible road links throughout the country for laying the foundation of the infrastructure in the emirates.

According to a report of the National Consultative Council's (NCC) Committee on Municipalities and Public Utilities, every road and street in the capital will be expanded to have four lanes to meet future traffic requirements.

The report, which was tabled in the NCC in May this year, said that a tunnel would also be built near Sheraton Hotel in Abu Dhabi to link Salam Street with Mina Zayed and Corniche Street.

Another tunnel has been approved to link Zayed the First Street (Airport Road) with Khalifa Street via Hamdan Street. A new road has also been proposed to link other parts of the city to the Tourist Club area in a move to help ease the traffic on Salam Street.

A project is already under way to build a new road via Saadiyat Island and the Eastern Ring Road for the Mina Zayed traffic. This project was proposed by the NCC and referred to the Abu Dhabi Executive Council that approved it.

Another suggestion from the council was the building of a new ring road around the capital in addition to new service roads. The report said that car parks for 7,000 vehicles are also under construction for visitors to the Corniche and residents.

A number of underground car parks have already been completed and more are being built to solve the parking problem. The roads expansion scheme has been designed to meet the projected vehicular growth in the future.

Abu Dhabi Traffic and Licensing Department has attributed the downtown traffic jams to an 84 per cent increase in the number of vehicles on Abu Dhabi roads over the past five years, according to the report.