1.2176543-1432162167
Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, honoured a soldier on Tuesday by renaming a prominent road after him.

From now on, Academic City Road will be called Zayed Bin Hamdan Road, in recognition of Shaikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan’s contributions to the UAE.

Shaikh Mohammad made the announcement on twitter, and said: "This street that is used by tens of thousands of students every day shall bear the name of one of the Emirati youths the nation is proud of.”

“Oh Zayed Bin Hamdan, may you and the nation's youths keep serving your home country. This street embodies the persistence, determination, resolve, power and sacrifices of the Emirati youth.”

Zayed Bin Hamdan Road runs parallel to Mohammad Bin Zayed (MBZ) Road and Emirates Road.

The eight-lane highway extends 50km from its intersection with Jebel Ali-Lehbab Road to the Oman Street intersection, and half of the Road has already been opened to traffic while the remaining half will be opened later in March.

The road, which has a capacity of 12,000-16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, is considered as one of Dubai’s key strategic roads, which offers access to several major areas such as Dubai Silicon Oasis, Arabian Ranches and the Expo 2020 site.

It features seven main intersections with Ras Al Khor Road, Latifa bint Hamdan Street, Hassa Street, Al Yalayis Road, Al Qudra Road, Jebel Ali-Lehbab Road and Al Ain Road, in addition to 10 secondary intersections.

On February 18, the country's leaders congratulated Shaikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his recovery after undergoing medical treatment following a chopper crash while performing his military duties in Yemen.

Shaikh Zayed Bin Hamdan is the grandson of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, returned home last Saturday after a successful treatment in Germany for injuries.