Dubai: The Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi is set to move the Musaffah Bridge toll gate before the entire toll system rolls out on October 15.
In a lecture organised recently by the Council Affairs at Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court, in cooperation with the transportation department, officials confirmed that the Musaffah Bridge toll gate will be moved along the same street and relocated closer to the interchange of Bawabat Abu Dhabi.
The toll gate was installed on Khaleej Al Arabi Street and although it will continue to be on the same street, Ebrahim Al Hamoudi, executive director of Abu Dhabi’s DoT, said that it will be placed further down the road and closer to the main interchange.
Evading road toll
In the report presented at the lecture, DoT officials cited the reason behind the relocation was to prevent motorists from dodging the road tariff by passing through the residential area of Bawabat Abu Dhabi, “which will cause heavy traffic congestion in the area.”
The report also showed that the population of Abu Dhabi City has increased from 900,000 in 2009 to 1.7 million in 2019, while the numbers of registered vehicles in Abu Dhabi increased from 600,000 in 2009 to 1.1 million in 2019.
According to studies carried out by DoT, up to 44,000 vehicles per hour enter and exit the island of Abu Dhabi, which includes 24,000 vehicles entering the city and 20,000 vehicles leaving.
Once the road tolls launch on October 15, transport officials expect traffic congestion to reduce by six to eight per cent during peak hours.
Locations
Four toll gates have been installed across Abu Dhabi city, and motorists will have to pay Dh4 to drive through them during the peak hours between Saturday and Thursday from 7-9am and 5-7pm.
The four gates are located at Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, Mussafah Bridge and Al Maqta'a Bridge.
During non-peak hours, in addition to Fridays and public holidays, the toll will be reduced to Dh2 for every pass.
The daily maximum fee is capped at Dh16 per vehicle.
How to register
If you are a resident outside Abu Dhabi, you can register your vehicle by visiting the webpage of the Integrated Transport Centre itps.itc.gov.ae that allows motorists to create an account by providing their Emirates ID details, car license plate details, mobile number and email.
Abu Dhabi vehicle owners will automatically be registered with the road toll system.
