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Traffic moves at a snail’s pace through flooded roads in Dubai’s Discovery Gardens yesterday morning. Image Credit: Zarina Fernandes/ Gulf News

Dubai: The huge gridlock at Discovery Gardens on Thursday morning that left hundreds of motorists fuming in the rush hour traffic was due to a road closure by the Road Transport Authority (RTA), Nakheel said.

The developer of the Discovery Gardens community in Jebel Ali, said it is liaising with the RTA, “impressing upon them the urgent need to address traffic congestion in the area.”

Nakheel said it has opened a temporary route between Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan (Villas) and E77 (Al Yalayis Road), that connects Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and to Shaikh Zayed Road.

RTA however, said that “Discovery Gardens is a privately developed area and the developer is responsible for the situation there”.

“If we are invited, we will definitely help improve the situation, but right now it’s not in our hands,” said Hussain Al Banna, Director of Traffic at the RTA.

Residents said that the flooding of the roads after last night’s thunderstorm aggravated the situation in the morning. But they said there need to be more exits from the community and that getting in and getting out is a “nightmare” everyday.