Dubai: Motorists can now breeze through the busy Shaikh Zayed Road section between interchange two and three as a major multi-deck traffic corridor opened for traffic on Tuesday.
The corridor, which connects Umm Al Sheif Road in Al Safa 2 with Latifa Bint Hamdan Street in Al Quoz, passes along Shaikh Zayed Road without adding to the volume of vehicles on the highway or disturbing its traffic flow.
Supported by a 7.4km long network of bridges leading to and from First Al Khail Road, Al Asayel Road and Zommorodh Road, phase one of the Dh800 million project, which opened on Tuesday, is designed to ease links between parallel highways of Shaikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road.
Part of the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) plan to provide direct inter-community links bypassing major arteries, the elevated passage will provide an additional link between Jumeirah and Al Quoz, while reducing the travel time between the two communities along Shaikh Zayed Road, Latifa Bint Hamdan Street to Al Khail Road from 12 minutes to 4 minutes.
It will also ease the movement of trucks from and to Al Qouz Industrial Area.
network of bridges forms the backbone of the project
“The aim of this project is to enhance the roads network extending east-west and link them with the main highways. It also supports the urban and economic development in the surrounding areas, besides reducing the traffic density on Al Wasl Street by 10 per cent in the sector between Al Manara and Al Hadeeqa Streets,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA.
He added that the project also serves the new urban developments such as Dubai Hills, Meydan, Al Khail Gate and Dubailand.
Making seamless connectivity between the two communities a reality, the corridor offers signal-free conveyance from the Spinney’s interchange on Al Wasl Road all the way to Al Khail Road passing through First Al Khail Road (National Cements Factory) and Al Asayel Road (Al Khail Mall) intersections on Latifa Bint Hamdan Street.
total cost of the elevated corridor project
Comprising multiple sections with several ramps, the project adds new access and exit points along Shaikh Zayed Road.
Motorists driving along the service road on the Al Quoz side of Shaikh Zayed Road now have a new access point to the highway, towards Sharjah, near the Harley Davidson showroom, reduce long tailbacks and congestion at the old exit near Oasis Centre.
A new ramp from Zommorodh Street provides an additional access to the highway towards Jebel Ali, allowing motorists from Al Quoz to avoid the long winding exits at interchange two and three.
On the other side of the highway, new Exit 44 gives direct access to the residents of Al Safa 2 and to the Umm Al Sheif Emarat petrol station. The exit also allows motorists on Shaikh Zayed Road coming from Sharjah to access the corridor all the way to Al Quoz.
Part of the project, which is set to cut down the travel time along the section by 80 per cent, is also the double-deck upgrade of the Al Asayel Road/Latifa Bint Hamdan Street (Al Khail Mall) intersection.
to commute between Jumeirah and Al Quoz on the new road
The upgrade will see two flyovers – a four track bridge running above a six track flyover, criss-crossing the Al Khail Mall intersection.
According to the RTA, the project will serve eight urban development projects by 2020, and ten others by 2030. It will also serve four residential districts by 2020 and four others by 2030.
Al Tayer said about 680,000 people will benefit from the project by 2020, and the number of beneficiaries will rise to 1.2m by 2030.
The project will serve five industrial areas by 2020 and five others by 2030.
He added that around 370,000 workers will benefit from the project by 2020, and the number will rise to 724,000 by 2030.
Phase two
Phase Two of the project, which is set be ready in the first quarter of 2019, aims to improve the link between between Jumeirah and Dubailand. It will also ease the entry points of Al Qouz areas and other development projects.
The phase two will also see redevelopment of the existing road extending 3km from First Al Khail Road to the junction of Al Khail Road. Work is currently underway in improving the junctions along the sector.
The upgrade of the junctions is expected to reduce the traffic congestion by 78 per cent during the evening peak hours, and increase the capacity of the junctions by 40 per cent.
