Motorists feel end result will be beneficial to them

According to details provided by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), a stretch of the road from Al Mulla Plaza to Al Qiyadah Interchange will remain closed to traffic while diversions will be in place for at least a year.

“This is part of the Dh480 million Expressway project which is expected to be completed by January next year,” says an RTA official.

Maitha Obaid bin Udai, Chief Executive Officer of the Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA, says, “Motorists from Sharjah will have to turn to Al Wuheida Road, pass through Hor Al Anz and enter Salahuddin Road or back to Al Ittihad Road through Abu Hail.”

The diversion route from Dubai to Sharjah will start before the Al Qiyadah Intersection through Al Quds Road to rejoin Al Ittihad Road using Al Nahda Road. “Pedestrian crossings will be established wherever they are needed,” she adds.

Technician Shine George, who has to travel to Sharjah every day, says, “We still can manage as there are other routes such as that from Century Mall in Mamzar to Union Cooperatve towards Sharjah. Though the diversion may add to traffic chaos, I think at the end of it, the expansion will be beneficial.”

Says Shahjahan, who uses the Ittehad Road to travel from one emirate to the other, “The RTA is coming up with major road projects and this one is especially needed because every day, several motorists spend a lot of their time stuck in traffic. The real bottleneck is indeed Al Qeyadah.”

Mohammed Al Hamid says, “Though I work in Sharjah, my wife has to bear all the traffic snarls while travelling on this road. So before she travels each day, I log on to the Dubai Police web site which shows road blockades and accidents on particular roads. In this way, I can guide her to roads where the traffic movement is smoother. I think the project will help people.”

Ashokan Pillai, a sales executive, says that as soon as one crosses Galadari Roundabout, the traffic situation gets better.

“I think that after the expansion project, the situation will be better. I take the Al Ittehad Road at least four times a day. I really hope that this expansion will make a difference,” he adds.