Dubai-Sharjah alternative route taking shape
NEW LINK CONNECTING MOHAMMAD BIN ZAYED ROAD WITH EMIRATES ROAD WILL BRING 30% DROP IN TRAFFIC
Connecting two major highways, the new 12km link is expected to bring 30% drop in traffic |
Anew Dubai-Sharjah alternative route currently taking shape is expected to bring a 30 per cent drop in traffic between the busy corridors connecting the two emirates.
Giving thousands of motorists driving between the two emirates daily something to cheer about, the alternative 12-kilometre link between Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road will be particularly handy for motorists travelling to and from northern emirates and eastern suburbs of Sharjah.
Moving the traffic away from the perennially clogged Ittihad Road, Beirut Street and Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, the new project will help motorist gain a quicker access to Emirates Road via Mirdif along Tripoli Road.
Set to be ready early next year, the Dh500 million project will work as an extension of Al Khail Road heading all the way along Business Bay Crossing, Rabat Street and Tripoli Road, which is being extended to connect with the Emirates Road between the exits of E44 and D50.
Coming after the Dh200 million upgrade of Al Badi Interchange on Emirates Road that helped ease a major bottleneck towards Sharjah and northern emirates, the authorities feel the Tripoli Road extension will draw more traffic away from the clogged highways and help ease traffic on all the major arteries.
“The project aims to enhance the link between Dubai and Sharjah besides easing traffic congestions and stepping up safety along this corridor. Upon completion, this road will run parallel to Al Amardi-Al Khawaneej as well as Al Awir-Ras Al Khor corridors,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), when the project was launched last year.
The project will see a 5.3km extension of Tripoli Road, which is being widened from the Mirdif interchange on Mohammad Bin Zayed Road to Emirates Road.
For thousands of motorists who regularly use Emirates Road, the new link will also reduce the daily mileage, cutting short the trip distance compared to the current routes that they take to reach Emirates Road from Dubai.
Currently, motorists heading to Emirates Road have to take the long routes along Ras Al Khor/Hatta Road, Al Ain Road or the long-winding Airport-Al Amardhi road stretch.
“The upgrade includes widening of Tripoli Road over a 6.5km stretch from the Mirdif City Centre interchange up to the Academic City road interchange. It also includes the construction of a new 5.3km road of three lanes in each direction from the intersection of the Academic City up to the Emirates Road, easing the traffic flow on the corridor by 30 per cent,” he added.
Consisting of an underpass and three flyovers, the upgrade will ensure non-stop movement of traffic at 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.
Among the upgrades is a sixlane underpass at the TripoliAlgiers roads junction as well as redesigning the signalised intersection, which will reduce the waiting time at the junction from three minutes to less than one minute.
At the Tripoli-Nouakchott and Tripoli-Academic City roads junctions each, six-lane flyovers are being built, while another flyover connecting Tripoli road with Emirates road is currently taking shape.