Dubai: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has awarded a contract for the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel Project extending from the end of the ramp of Infinity Bridge in Deira to the intersection of Al Khaleej and Cairo Streets.
The tunnel will have six lanes stretching 1,650m, capable of accommodating up to 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.
The RTA said the move follows the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to complement the development of Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project to match the ongoing rapid population growth and urbanisation of the area.
The project is being overseen of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai.
Free flow
Al Khaleej Street Project, which is part of Phase 4 of Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, enables free traffic flow from Infinity Bridge towards Deira and back.
The scope includes transforming the crossing of the Cairo and Al Wuheida Streets from a roundabout to a signalised intersection, besides improving Cairo Street and connecting the ramp of the bridge from Dubai Islands to the new tunnel on Al Khaleej Street northward. This phase will serve the residents of Abu Hail, Al Wuheida, and Al Mamzar along with development projects like Dubai Islands, Dubai Waterfront, Waterfront Market, and Hamriya Port.
About Al Shindagha project
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, RTA, said Al Khaleej Street Tunnel is part of Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, which extends 13km along Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street, and Cairo Street.
It encompasses the upgrade of 15 intersections and benefits numerous residential and developmental communities including Dubai Islands, Dubai Waterfront, Dubai Maritime City, and Mina Rashid. It serves about 1 million people and is projected to cut travel times from 104 minutes to just 16 minutes by 2030.
In progress
RTA is currently working on a 4.8km improvement project on Sheikh Rashid Street, extending from the intersection of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street to Falcon intersection on Al Mina Street. The project entails constructing three bridges totalling 3.1km in length, accommodating 19,400 vehicles per hour across all lanes. The first is a 1,335-metre bridge of three lanes to facilitate the traffic flow between Sheikh Rashid Road and Falcon Intersection, accommodating up to 10,800 vehicles per hour in both directions.
The second is a three-lane bridge extending 780m to serve traffic from Falcon Intersection in the direction of Al Wasl Road accommodating 5,400 vehicles per hour.
The third is a 985m bridge of two lanes to serve traffic inbound from Jumeirah Street heading to Al Mina Street toward Al Wasl Street, accommodating 3,200 vehicles per hour, said Al Tayer.
The project also entails constructing a 4.8km roadway and upgrading surface junctions along Jumeirah Street, Al Mina Street, and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street. Works include constructing two pedestrian bridges, one on Sheikh Rashid Road and the other on Al Mina Street in addition to other works such as street lighting, traffic systems, rainwater drainage network and irrigation systems, he added.
Completed phases
RTA has completed the improvement of numerous intersections within Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, including the opening of the intersection of Sheikh Rashid Road and Oud Metha Road (Wafi Intersection), and the intersection of Sheikh Rashid Road and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, which entailed the construction of two bridges on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street comprising two lanes in each direction.
It also included the construction of a one-lane bridge from Zaabeel Street in the direction of Sheikh Rashid Road and a tunnel on Sheikh Rashid Road in the direction of the junction of Sheikh Rashid and Al Mankhool Roads comprising four lanes in each direction.
RTA also opened five bridges leading to Dubai Islands, which provide entry and exit points to Dubai Islands at the intersection of Al Khaleej Street and Abu Baker Al Siddique Road. The bridges and ramps span 2,571m in length and have a total capacity of around 20,700 vehicles per hour.
Furthermore, RTA opened a main bridge on Al Khaleej Street extending 570m featuring three lanes in the direction of Bur Dubai as well as a surface junction at the crossing of Al Khaleej Street and Omar bin Al Khattab Street. The bridge handles 4,800 vehicles per hour and serves the traffic on Al Khaleej Street inbound from the junction of Abu Baker Al Siddique Road and Dubai Islands in the direction of Al Shindagha Tunnel.
Infinity Bridge
Early last year, RTA completed Infinity Bridge extending around 295m and consisting of six lanes in each direction in addition to a combined three-metre-wide track for pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge features an architectural arch shaped in the form of the infinity symbol rising 42m at the top. It boasts an iconic structural design inspired by the infinity concept, which replicates the unlimited ambitions of Dubai. The bridge, with its exceptional architectural design, is a unique landmark of Dubai globally.
Falcon junction
RTA also completed the Falcon Intersection Improvement Project, featuring the construction of two major bridges on Al Khaleej Street. The first bridge extends 750m northward, and the second one stretches 1,075 metres southward. The bridges have six lanes in each direction with a capacity of up to 24,000 vehicles per hour in both directions. Works include the construction of a single-lane bridge extending 250m for the right-turn from Khalid bin Al Waleed Road to Al Khaleej Street with a capacity of 1600 vehicles per hour.
Works underway include a two-lane 500m tunnel for left turns from Khaled bin Al Waleed Street to Al Mina Street capable of handling 3200 vehicles per hour in addition to a surface signalised intersection linking Al Khaleej Street with Al Ghubaiba and Khaled bin Al Waleed Roads.
