Dubai: Travel time on Dubai’s Ras Al Khor Road has been slashed from 20 minutes to just seven minutes thanks to the ‘Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Roads Improvement Corridor’ project reaching the 50 per cent completion mark, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said on Saturday.
The project, which extends 8km along Ras Al Khor Rd, runs from the intersection of the Dubai-Al Ain Road to the intersection of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. Improvement works also include the construction of bridges extending 2km.
Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, RTA, said the project includes widening Ras Al Khor Rd from three to four lanes in each direction and constructing a two-lane service road to enhance the traffic safety and ease the traffic flow, besides eliminating the existing overlapping traffic spots.
It will also increase the capacity of Ras Al Khor Road to 10,000 vehicles per hour. The project serves a host of major development projects inhabited by 650,000 residents around The Lagoons, Dubai Creek Harbour, Meydan Horizons, Ras Al Khor, Al Wasl, and Nadd Al Hamar Complex.
The project also includes improving the intersection of Nadd Al Hamar Road with Ras Al Khor Rd. There will be an increase in the capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour by constructing a two-lane bridge extending 988m to enable free left-side turns of traffic inbound from Nadd Al Hamar Rd heading in the direction of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Rd. It also involves the construction of another 115m bridge to serve the traffic inbound from Nadd Al Hamar heading to Ras Al Khor Rd in the direction of Dubai-Al Ain Rd. A two-lane tunnel extending 368m will be constructed to enable right turns from Ras Al Khor Rd to Nadd Al Hamar. The project works also include improvements at the existing intersection, and widening the existing turns, added Al Tayer.
Project phases
The Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Roads Improvement Corridor is one of the biggest projects undertaken by RTA. In the future, it will include the construction of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Crossing; a bridge crossing over Dubai Creek to link Al Jaddaf in Bur Dubai with the street between Dubai Creek Harbour Project and Dubai Festival City.
The project has been divided into several phases. Last year, RTA completed the construction of a three-lane bridge extending 740m leading to the Western entrance to Dubai Creek - Dubai Creek Harbour. The bridge connects traffic inbound from Dubai - Al Ain Road and Al Khail Road, heading East to Dubai Creek - Dubai Creek Harbour area, with a capacity of 7,500 vehicles per hour. RTA has also constructed a new 1.5km road of four lanes in each direction along with entry and exit points to and from the newly completed areas to facilitate traffic inbound from Nadd Al Hamar - Ras Al Khor Roads intersection, said Al Tayer.
“The new roads and bridges network contributed to streamlining the traffic flow to the newly completed housing units at the Dubai Creek, by linking them with the surrounding roads. The new roads were also fitted with lighting comprising of 108 streetlight poles. Work is currently underway on the construction of a 640m bridge to ensure a smooth traffic movement from Dubai Creek Harbour project towards Ras Al Khor Rd with a capacity of about 3,100 vehicles per hour.
