Al Wahda Road project to be completed in a few months

Sharjah: Commuters in Sharjah will soon enjoy a smooth ride on Al Wahda Road as ongoing construction work is likely to be completed within a couple of months.

A senior official at the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) said the project was running according to schedule.

The official said it was the largest and most vital project in the city that involved the construction of two bridges and the replacement of all roundabouts.

Al Wahda Road is set to open in the middle of next year while King Abdul Aziz Road will open by the end of 2010, the official said.

Al Wahda Road has been under construction since August 2008 at an estimated total cost of Dh800 million. It was expected to be completed by September 2010. "The project was divided into three parts that consisted of Shaikh Humaid Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Square (Flying Saucer Roundabout), Cultural Square and the Abu Shagara bridge, underpass and pedestrian subway. The two interchanges [were] already opened in August, and there is only the construction at Abu Shagara left," the official said.

The Cultural Square interchange now consists of an underpass below Cultural Square roundabout that leads motorists to and from Shaikh Mohammad Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Road.

Once completed, the project will turn one of the city's most congested roads into one with flyovers, tunnels and bridges.

He said the bridge on Al Wahda Road is 1.6 kilometres long and is being built between King Faisal Interchange and the Gold Centre intersection. The bridge will have two lanes in each direction.

It will allow the free flow of traffic along Al Wahda Street, bypassing congested junctions at Abu Shagara and the Gold Centre.