Interchanges to be redesigned on congested key road

The Municipality plans to alleviate the growing traffic congestion on Sheikh Zayed Road by redesigning the first seven interchanges. The Dh200 million project is the result of an intensive eight-month study by an international agency.

Nasser Ahmed Saeed, Director of the Roads Department, said, "The construction of the new interchanges will ensure a free flow of traffic. Our study on Sheikh Zayed Road is not just because of congestion, but also due to new developments like the Dubai Internet City, Emaar properties and educational institutions.

"We will also be banning the use of roads in Dubai by heavy vehicles from 6.30 to 8am, 1 to 3pm and from 5 to 8pm except on the Emirates Road. This will help ensure greater safety and decrease the congestion on the roads by 25 per cent.

"Congestion cannot be reduced just by building new structures. You have to look at it from different angles such as traffic management, increasing the use of public transport and finding different routes to travel on."

The first phase of the project began with construction of the new Al Safa Interchange, which is expected to cost Dh67.47 million.

Dr Mohammed Abdullah Yousuf, head of the Roads Construction Unit, said, "The new Al Safa interchange will be bigger and not involve a roundabout. There will be directional roads that ensure that traffic is smooth.

"The construction will be done in phases and the existing interchange used to divert traffic so that there isn't any disruption. "After two weeks, Sheikh Zayed Road will have one part blocked off, which means that instead of four lanes in each directions, there will be three.

"They will revert back in May. Also, part of Safa Park will be taken in for the construction of the new interchange, along with the area on which the Pepsi factory is located." Yousuf said the entire project was being developed in such a manner as to ensure that it can meet the demand of increasing traffic for at least the next 20 years.