Dubai: Airport Road in Dubai will get a massive facelift over the next three years, with additional lanes, underpasses and bridges easing traffic, Gulf News has learnt.
Work on the mega project will begin in the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to help improve traffic by at least 80 per cent.
A section of Airport Road from the Shaikh Rashid Road intersection is currently served by two tracks on either side, which is causing bottlenecks heading towards Terminal 1.
“The expansion work will make Airport Road an expressway with no traffic lights. More tracks will be added on a section of the road in front of Terminal 1 where there are only two tracks. This will help improve traffic situation on the road heading towards Terminal 1 as well as Maktoum street,” said Maitha Bin Adai, CEO of RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.
The project is currently in the design stage and the cost of the expansion work is yet to be disclosed.
The upgrades will also involve rebuilding the interchanges on the busy road with underpasses, bridges and additional ramps.
“Major upgrades will be done on three intersections of Airport Road that will include a six-lane underpass to separate traffic on Airport Road from the traffic coming from Rashidiya,” she added.
The other upgrades include a ramp along the Airport Road that will bypass the traffic light at the Dubai Cargo Village junction, while the Marakesh Road junction will have a six-lane flyover to bypass the traffic on the intersection.
RTA insists the flow of traffic during the construction phase will not be disrupted.
“We are currently working on the diversion plans and we will make sure that the number of lanes will remain [the] same so as not to disturb traffic movement,” Maitha added.
Thousands of motorists use Airport Road every day with taxi drivers, hotel chauffeurs and airport staff facing regular bottlenecks on their way to the airport.
“The expansion will definitely make our lives easier as we face bottlenecks daily coming to [the] airport. This is a good move by RTA and I suggest they add another lane to the ramps towards the entrance of the terminal, which is a major cause of bottlenecks,” said a Dubai Duty Free worker, on condition of anonymity.
Work on the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
