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Traffic on Al Ittihad Road from Sharjah to Dubai. Image Credit: ANM archive

Dubai: The image of cars lined up for several kilometres on Al Ittihad Road in Sharjah is set to change.

Authorities on Tuesday announced that they are looking into developing a masterplan that will reduce traffic congestion on the busy Sharjah-Dubai road.

The total number of vehicles using this road exceeds 250,000 vehicles per day, according to previous Gulf News reports.

Shaikh Abdullah Bin Salem Al Qasimi, Sharjah Deputy Ruler and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council, held a council meeting at the office of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

Photos of the Executive Council's meeting were also posted on Sharjah Media's Instagram account.

The Council approved the proposal prepared by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Sharjah to carry out road works to improve Al Ittihad Street.

Engineer Yousuf Saleh Al Suwaiji, chairman of Sharjah’s RTA, reviewed the details of the proposal and explained that a study was made on how to reduce congestion and ensure a smooth traffic flow on Al Ittihad Road.  

The proposal was then approved by the Council.

However, details of the project have not been revealed to the public.

This is not the first time that authorities had their eyes on improving traffic on Al Ittihad Road.

In 2010, the RTA in Dubai completed the Al Ittihad Road Improvement and Widening Project, which included the widening of Al Ittihad Road from Sharjah to the border of Dubai, up until the Airport Road.

The project also included the construction of Al Qiyada interchange, known as the Galadari intersection, and Al Nahda interchange, which is commonly referred to as Al Mulla Plaza intersection.

The project resulted in increasing the road’s capacity from 8,000 vehicles per hour to 12,000 vehicles per hour, in each direction.