Shindagha Tunnel in 'excellent condition'

Dubai: Engineers have declared that the Shindagha Tunnel is in "excellent" condition after a major maintenance study was carried out.

Dam, bridge and tunnel specialist Socotech International was drafted in to carry out the work in association with Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

The RTA and Socotech engineers checked for cracks on the inside walls of the tunnel and sent concrete samples to the UK for analysis and officials said these showed the walls were in a good state. Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, Chief Executive of the RTA's Roads Department, said studies showed the steel was also in tip-top condition.

"The maintenance work done in 1985, a decade after the tunnel's construction, involved coating the walls with special materials and paints to prevent the oxidation of iron, and this has contributed to the excellent condition of the structure to date.

"The condition of the tunnel, three decades after it was built, is ample proof of the quality of the construction and maintenance works," she said.

She said maintenance studies on the tunnel were planned every three years and would continue to involve experts from across the world.