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5th lane welcomed

Once completed, after 240 days of scheduled work, the project would add eight kilometres long additional lanes to the highway in either direction from the Dubai World Trade Centre to the Al Manara Interchange and enhancement of underpasses.

The Dh82.32 million project also involves the construction of a two-lane road between DWTC Interchange and Zabeel Interchange, a number of enhancements including the expansion of two lanes from the DWTC roundabout to the Shaikh Rashid Road, upgrades to the underpass on the Karama-bound road, extra lanes (both directions) to the DWTC underpass, and addition of a lane in either direction to the main road under the second Interchange.

The project is expected to decongest Shaikh Zayed Road and the areas around it, which experience jams during peak hours everyday. It will complement the ongoing expansion of the Shaikh Zayed Road from the First Interchange to the Seventh Interchange on both the Dubai bound and Abu Dhabi bound sides of the highway.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on the project, a cross-section of Dubai residents said that they welcomed the move by the civic body, though it could have been made earlier as the traffic on Shaikh Zayed Road has been increasing by the day following major projects alongside it. But there were more bouquets than brickbats for the municipality, which respondents opined is efficient in its workings, especially with road projects.

Younis H. Al Mulla, General Manager, Mall of the Emirates: It's welcome news, absolutely. My work requires me to use the Shaikh Zayed Road everyday, and I am positive the expansion and enhancement of this part of the highway will ease peak hour congestion.

There's tremendous growth occurring in the country in general and in Dubai in particular, and all over the world cities growing at this rate and magnitude experience traffic snarls, they are not just confined to a few places.

Considering the fact that tourism is our focus, and it is noteworthy that we are the second most popular tourist destination in the region, such projects are necessary.

The inter-linking of all major arteries, such as the Emirates Road, Al Khail Road, and some major upcoming roads, as well as the rail project, all these will make life on the roads easier and safer.

Sadatullah Khan, Network Technical Assistant: This is what can be done if proper planning is in place right from the beginning. The municipality, when it planned the Shaikh Zayed Road had correctly projected the increase in the volume of traffic on the road, and as such had left enough room to expand the highway.

This would not have been possible had the buildings along the highway were built where the parking slots terminate into the sidewalks. Very timely, just like the additional lane that was created from nowhere on the Maktoum bridge couple of years ago.

I am sure the project will greatly reduce traffic jams on the road, and cut travel time considerably. The motorists, however, need to stick to the rules and behave themselves. A couple of fender-benders are all it takes for the widest roads to turn into a bottleneck.

Harish Prasad, Taxi Driver: People usually avoid using cabs during rush hours, especially if routes pass through spots that experience jams daily. Cabbies know this and do not frequent such areas, and this means.

While this is not the exact scenario on Shaikh Zayed Road for a good part of the day, it does get crawling slow during rush hour. I was not aware of this project, but it sounds great.

Will it help? I guess nothing is ever enough. It will at least ease jams for the time being, who knows what the civic body has in mind for other such spots. With so many road projects being carried out, it won't be a surprise if traffic snarls are reduced to a minimum a couple of years from now.

Sheila, a resident of Jumeirah: I just try to avoid Shaikh Zayed Road whenever, and wherever possible, particularly on the road home after work. It's a nightmare.

Avais Ali Mirza, Flight Operations, Falcon Airlines: I work close to the Dubai International Airport so I haven't seen much of the peak hour rush on Shaikh Zayed Road. But my trips to Jebel Ali or the Internet City/Media City area have been unpleasant on account of the jams.

Considering the rate at which Dubai is growing, it is possible that the civic body's move could turn out to be too little too late. Over all, though, I think it's a welcome move and will definitely have a positive impact on the road's traffic flow. Motorists should enjoy it while it lasts.

• UAE