Three new intersections set to ease Dubai traffic

THREE NEW INTERSECTIONS TO EASE TRAFFIC ON HAPPINESS STREET AND MEYDAN STREET

Traffic on Meydan and Happiness streets in Dubai is expected to ease considerably following the upgrade of three major intersections which are scheduled to open next Friday.

According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the upgrades will ensure the journey time between Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, along Meydan Street will fall to just 2.5 minutes from the present 12 minutes.

Part of phase two of the Parallel Roads Project, the new intersections in Business Bay and Al Quoz are expected to increase the capacity along the corridor by up to 20,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.

Opening of the interchanges that include flyovers and tunnels will also directly impact the flow of traffic on Shaikh Zayed Road, with an estimated ease in traffic density by 15 per cent on Shaikh Zayed Road between the first and second interchanges.

The project provides a whole new parallel corridor along Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, offering motorists an alternative freeway from behind the Dubai World Trade Centre all the way to the Dubai Bowling Centre on Meydan Street. It also offers additional entry/exit points to the Business Bay and Burj Khalifa districts.

Mattar Al Tayer, directorgeneral and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA in Dubai yesterday announced that the project will open for traffic on June 8.

“Phase two covered the construction of a 240-metre flyover at the intersection of Happiness Street and Burj Khalifa Boulevard, a 535-metre underpass at the intersection of Happiness and Business Bay streets, and a 500-metre bridge along the extension of Happiness Street crossing over the Dubai Water Canal,” said Al Tayer.

Another major segment of the project includes the construction of a 420-metre bridge at the intersection of Al Meydan and First Al Khail streets (Dubai Bowling Centre), a 420-metre tunnel for left turns from Happiness Street to Meydan Street, and a 340-metre underpass for horses crossing at the Dubai Stables.

Al Tayer said that the project also includes widening the street from three to four lanes in each direction as well as building service roads in both directions. The project has been undertaken as part of RTA’s Strategic Plan to ease snarls around Shaikh Zayed Road.

“The project will ensure a smooth flow of traffic on Happiness Street, especially in the sector between the Financial Centre and Al Meydan streets, and across Business Bay up to Al Quoz,” said Al Tayer.

The project is expected to cut the journey time between Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road from 12 to 2.5 minutes, while easing the traffic on Financial Centre street.

Bridges spanning 5,665 metres and tunnels extending 2,445 metres have been built in both phases of the project.

Last November, the RTA opened Phase One of the Parallel Roads Project at Godolphin District, including a 3.5-km bridge of three lanes in each direction across the Dubai Water Canal.

Under phase one, the number of lanes went up to five in each direction above Godolphin Stables and Al Meydan Street up to Al Quoz Residential Community. The project also involved improving the existing intersection of Al Meydan and Al Khail Streets, including flyovers to enable left turns to streamline the current overlapping traffic and ease peak-hours congestion.