Dubai on Sunday opened a three-lane bridge in the latest stage of a major road expansion project aimed at cutting congestion and boosting travel times in a fast-growing area of the city.
The new bridge will accommodate up to 3,600 vehicles per hour and will serve traffic coming from Al Khail Road towards Al Asayel Street, via Al Wasl Club Street.
It is a key part of the Oud Metha and Al Asayel Streets Development Project, which authorities said is now 90 per cent complete.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority said two tunnels will be opened by the end of August under the improvement scheme.
The first will connect the service road on Oud Metha Street to the Sheikh Rashid Road junction for traffic heading towards Bur Dubai, while the second will serve traffic coming from Dubai–Al Ain Road towards Al Wasl Club Street, helping to ease traffic flow.
The RTA will also open another bridge serving left-turning traffic coming from Al Asayel Street towards Oud Metha Street.
Growing population
Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the Roads and Transport Authority, said the Oud Metha and Al Asayel Street scheme is central to the wider Sheikh Rashid Corridor Development Project.
The major road project is viewed as crucial to efforts to serve growing populations in the historic heart of the emirate.
“The project is one of the key infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing Dubai’s road network," said Mr Al Tayer.
"It includes the improvement of four major intersections, the construction of bridges and two tunnels with a total length of 4,300 metres, and roads spanning 14 kilometres.
“The project supports several service, residential and development areas, most notably Zabeel, Al Jaddaf, Oud Metha and Umm Hurair, as well as Latifa Hospital and Al Wasl Club. The population of the areas served by the project is expected to exceed 420,000 by 2030."
He said the scheme will increase the capacity of Oud Metha Street from 10,400 vehicles per hour in both directions to 15,600 per hour.
The transport chief said the series of upgrades aimed to cut travel times on the busy route from 20 minutes to five minutes.
The road ahead
The RTA has already opened two bridges to serve the area, one located at the junction of Oud Metha Street with Al Asayel Street and Al Wasl Club Street and a second at the junction of Al Wasl Club Street with Al Khail Road.
The Oud Metha and Al Asayel Streets Development Project covers the improvement of four major junctions, including between Oud Metha Street and Sheikh Rashid Road, where an additional lane will be added to the left-turn ramp serving traffic from Oud Metha Street onto Sheikh Rashid Road towards Al Garhoud Bridge.
The project also includes the construction of a tunnel linking the service road on Oud Metha Street with the Sheikh Rashid Road junction, for traffic heading towards Bur Dubai.
