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Expanded Emirates Road to ease traffic

DUBAI — Come August, people taking the Emirates Road to avoid Salik will enjoy a much smoother drive as a part of the road’s expansion project has been completed and it will be open to traffic next month.

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), yesterday said 36 per cent of the first phase of the expansion of the Emirates Road has been completed and it would be opened to traffic in August.

The new stretch begins from Sharjah border and goes up to the Al Aweer Bridge. Work is on in full swing to increase the number of lanes from three to six on the Emirates Road.

Al Tayer stated this during an inspection tour of a number of road projects being implemented by the RTA. The RTA chief commenced his tour by inspecting the progress of the expansion work on the Emirates Road. He was accompanied by senior officials of the RTA.

He pointed out that the expansion of the Emirates Road will reduce traffic congestion to a large extent. As many as 10,000 vehicles use this road each hour in each direction.

Al Tayer also inspected the intersections being constructed at the Arabian Ranches. The total cost of the project is Dh409 million. Fifty per cent of the work on this project, which started on July 6 last year, has been executed. It is slated for completion in June 2008.

He also said that 50 per cent of the work at the Arabian Ranches Intersection has been completed.

With a 2.4km bridge, the Arabian Ranches Intersection is considered to be the largest in Dubai. The intersection consists of 11 bridges and a tunnel.

Al Tayer said among the other road projects being executed are the expansion of Umm Suqeim Road from four lanes to eight lanes and the expansion of Al Qudra Road from two lanes to four lanes in each direction from the intersection at the transit road. Two signals will be set up to service the Motor City cars and Dubai City of Studios.

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