Detours in place to allow for Salam Street work

Abu Dhabi: New detours will be opened in the Tourist Club area and the area in front of Abu Dhabi Municipality building today to facilitate the ongoing Salam Street upgrading project.

Salam Street will be partially closed in the area that lies in front of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City building but a detour from Mina Zayed to Al Salam Street will be implemented to avoid its inconvenience.

A new detour will also be opened in the Tourist Club area in Abu Dhabi city to facilitate construction work in the main tunnel of the project.

The Municipality, in cooperation with the Traffic Department of the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police, announced these developments yesterday at a press conference.

The changes cover the opening of the intersection on Ninth Street and Second Street in front of Abu Dhabi Mall. The Municipality worked continuously for three weeks to prepare the new detour in order to manage all the traffic coming from the Mina area and to avoid any congestion.

Wider street

The street parallel to Abu Dhabi Mall has been expanded to three lanes starting at the RAK Bank intersection towards the Navy base and Al Falah Street.

The Municipality emphasised the importance of patience and cooperation from both motorists and residents in the success of the project.

Drivers are advised to comply with the instruction signs and boards as well as to take roads that are clearly labelled on a map.

A shorter trip

The Salam Street upgrading project which will see the first freeway in Abu Dhabi will cut the driving time from about 40 minutes to just 20 minutes on the Eastern Ring Road from the Shaikh Zayed Bridge (under construction) until the Mina Zayed area, officials told Gulf News.

About 14 kilometres of road offering a non-stop "green drive" without the hassle of traffic signals will minimise noise and air pollution in the city, and the fuel consumption of vehicles, said Abdullah Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director, Municipal Assets and Infrastructure, of Abu Dhabi Municipality.

As Gulf News reported earlier this week, more than 60 per cent of the three major phases of the Dh5-billion project has been completed.