WATCH: Three-lane Wafi bridge opens in Dubai

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The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened the Improvement of Wafi Interchange project comprising the construction of a three-lane  bridge extending 700 meters from Oud Metha Road (nearby Latifa Hospital) in the direction of the Shaikh Rashid Road, and from there to the Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Saada Road (the bridge leading to the Dubai World Trade Center). The total cost of the project amounted to Dh 88 million.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said, "The Improvement of Wafi Interchange project at the intersection of Oud Metha Road and Shaikh Rashid Road primarily aims at improving the leftward traffic flow coming from Oud Metha in the North to merge with Shaikh Rashid Road to the west, through the construction of a directional ramp ensuring free and safe traffic movement."
The Bridge, which has a capacity to handle about 3300 vehicles per hour, has been undertaken as part of RTA's efforts to improve main roads network in the Emirate, and the project had been flagged as a key traffic hub in the master plan of roads network in the Emirate.

"The new bridge was intended to ease the overlapping traffic problems experienced in the intersection, and ensure a smooth vehicular movement in all directions. The traffic should now flow smoothly from Oud Metha Road heading to the east in the direction of Al Ain, and equally from Shaikh Rashid Road in the direction of Oud Metha Road to the west (Umm Hrrair, Oud Metha communities)," added Al Tayer.
Integrated Solutions
"Upgrading Wafi Interchange is part of the integrated solutions charted by RTA to address snarls at Bur Dubai. Early this year, RTA started construction works in the improvement of the Intersection of Shaikh Rashid Road with Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road Project, costing about Dh 611 million. The project, which is part of a master project for improvement of traffic at Al Shandagha hub, is situated at the crossing of Shaikh Rashid Road (in the direction of Al Shandagha to the north), and Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed road (in the direction of the intersection of Al Kuwait Road & Khalifa bin Zayed Road)," explained Al Tayer.
"The project that is expected to be completed in the final quarter of 2017 comprises the construction of a bridge on the Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road, a tunnel at the Shaikh Rashid Road, and a bridge stretching from Umm Hrer Road in the direction of the Shaikh Rashid Road. The project is aimed at ensuring a free traffic flow from the Trade Center R/A to the intersection of the Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road with Al Kuwait Road through a bridge of two lanes in each direction.

The new Wafi bridge allows the drivers coming from Oud Metha Road and heading towards Wafi bridge to reach easily to pic.twitter.com/54DbrzIbag
- RTA (@RTA_Dubai) April 16, 2016