Dubai: Airport Tunnel will be closed for traffic heading towards Sharjah from midnight Thursday to 6am on Friday, the Roads and Transport Authority announced on Wednesday.
The tunnel will be closed to conduct an emergency drill that will involve 11 government and semi-government entities such as the National Emergency, Crises and Disaster Management Authority; Emergency, Crises, and Disaster Management Team — Dubai; Directorate General of Civil Defence — Dubai; Dubai Police; Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services; Dubai Municipality; Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; Dubai Health Authority; Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Emirates airline and Dubai Airports.
“The drill will be executed on the assumption that two vehicles, one of them loaded with inflammable materials, have crashed in the tunnel resulting in a situation warranting rapid deployment of RTA’s Crises Management Team as well as an effective and direct intervention of 11 government and semi-government entities,” said Ahmad Hashem Behroozian, Head of Crises Management Team and CEO of Licensing Agency, RTA.
Behroozian stated that the fire drill in Dubai Airport Tunnel will start at 2am on Friday and continue till 6am. However, the tunnel will be cordoned off in the direction of Sharjah from midnight on Thursday.
“The drivers heading towards this direction can use alternative routes like Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Ittihad Road,” said Behroozian.
He added that the drill is being conducted to verify the preparedness of RTA’s Crises Management Team together with its counterparts in other government entities across Dubai, and to validate the readiness of their teams for intervention and containment of such an accident.
