Dubai: A new 13.5km track tailored for bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians is being built in Dubai, stretching from Al Sufouh to Dubai Hills via Hessa Street.
Under the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a bicycle-friendly city, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is set to construct the track.
The new pathway also features two bridges crossing over Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, RTA, said: “This track designated for cyclists, scooter riders and pedestrians is part of Hessa Street Improvement Project currently undertaken by RTA spanning 4.5km between the intersections with Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road. It encompasses upgrades to four major intersections along Hessa Street with Sheikh Zayed Road, First Al Khail Street, Al Asayel Street, and Al Khail Road. Hessa Street will be widened from two to four lanes in each direction, doubling its capacity to 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.”
5,200 users per hour
The planned multi-use track measures 4.5 metres in width (2.5-metre-wide track for cyclists and scooter riders, and two-metre-wide track for pedestrians). It serves 12 diverse residential, commercial, and educational areas in addition to service facilities in neighbourhoods like Al Barsha and Al Barsha Heights. The track is designed to improve connectivity for first and last-mile trips, linking with the Dubai Internet City Metro Station and other hotspots in the vicinity. The capacity of the track is estimated at 5,200 users per hour, Al Tayer said.
New bridges
“The new track features two uniquely designed bridges: the first spans 528 metres over Sheikh Zayed Road, and the second stretches 501 metres over Al Khail Road. Each bridge is five metres wide (three metres for bicycles and e-scooters and 2 metres for pedestrians).
The design concept of the bridge crossing over Sheikh Zayed Road embodies themes of connectivity embodied in overlapping lines. The open design of the bridge structure enhances visibility, offering improved views of the surrounding area and adjacent towers.
“Meanwhile, the bridge over Al Khail Road has a design that replicates the path of the sunlight, creating smooth lines and offering pedestrians and cyclists a tranquil escape from the street noise. The design thoughtfully considers integrating the path of the sun’s rays into the design,” added Al Tayer.
Hessa project
The Hessa Street Improvement Project is one of the key road infrastructure improvement projects that cater to several key residential and developmental communities such as Al Sufouh 2, Al Barsha, and Jumeirah Village Circle. By 2030, it is anticipated that the population served by this project will surpass 640,000. The project is set to double the capacity of Hessa Street to 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.
Four intersections
The project encompasses the improvement of four main intersections on Hessa Street. The first is the Sheikh Zayed Road Intersection, which involves constructing a two-lane directional ramp that crosses over the Dubai Metro Red Line to serve eastbound traffic from Sheikh Zayed Road to Hessa Street in the direction of Emirates Road.
The second is the improvement of the First Al Khail Street Intersection. It includes widening the existing bridge from three to four lanes in each direction including traffic improvements to the signalised surface intersection.
The third is the improvement of Al Asayel Street Intersection. It includes increasing the number of lanes of the existing bridge from two to four lanes in each direction along Hessa Street, in addition to traffic improvements to the signalised surface intersection.
The fourth intersection to be upgraded is Al Khail Road Intersection. It includes the construction of a two-lane directional ramp to serve northbound traffic from Hessa Street to Al Khail Road towards Sharjah.
