Dubai: Traffic on a busy intersection at Dubai Festival City has improved drastically following key improvements made by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently.
A bottleneck on the Marrakesh-Rabat streets intersection has been removed by adding a lane each in either direction, easing traffic considerably.
Traffic heading from the Business Bay Crossing and Dubai Festival City and going towards Shaikh Rashid Road had to converge into a two-lane bottleneck at the traffic intersection, leading to utter chaos, especially during evening peak hours. A lane has been added in each direction to improve the situation at the intersection.
Heading to Rabat Street from Airport Road in the direction of Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, more than one lane has been added, stepping up the capacity of the road.
“This project at Marrakesh-Rabat streets’ intersection is part of the sporadic works project and rapid traffic solutions to ease traffic snarls and facilitate vehicular movement in neighbouring areas and surrounding roads. The step also aims at enhancing the capacity of the intersection by adding a lane to accommodate the traffic heading to the left from both directions of the intersection, which has stepped up the traffic capacity of the street,” said Maitha Bin Udai, CEO of RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.
The Sporadic Works Project and Rapid Traffic Solutions Project consist of operational suggestions for rapid traffic solutions by improving existing roads, intersections, and traffic signals, in addition to providing parking spaces, upgrading lighting works on existing and new roads, and protecting existing utility lines in terms of ducts, extensions and diversions to serve the area in an optimal manner.
She added that apart from adding lanes the improvement works also included adjusting the existing traffic lights, protecting the existing utility lines, modifying air-conditioned bus shelters at Rabat Street and some improvements at the entrance of the existing petrol station at Rabat Street in the direction of Shaikh Rashid Road.
Motorists using the intersection regularly have welcomed the improvement which has saved them time and strees.
“A great job by RTA. This intersection has caused problems for years. People heading from Business Bay Crossing towards Shaikh Rashid Road leading to Sharjah use this intersection in the evening. Traffic had to converge into two lanes from three direction, resulting in a bottleneck, The situation has improved since last week when new lanes were opened,” said Mohammad Amir, a regular motorist.
Under the quick solutions project RTA is planning improvement works on several existing roads aimed at easing traffic congestion.
Among the expansion projects to be taken up over the next year are widening of Baghdad Street between Damascus Street and Beirut Street, widening of Amman Street near NMC Hospital, street lighting works at Rashidiya and Nad Al Shamma as well as widening Hessa Street between Al Khail Road and Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road.
