Construction work on a major road project aimed at cutting congestion and travel time between Sharjah and Dubai is gathering pace.
Sharjah's Roads and Transport Authority said a new tunnel at Al Taawun roundabout would partially open in two months.
The area is a key route for commuters from Sharjah to Dubai and is notorious for long queues of traffic, especially from Al Nahda Bridge to the roundabout.
The transport authority said the first phase of the key project would be completed before the start of the Sharjah International Book Fair, which will be held at the emirate's Expo Centre from November 4 to 15.
The annual event draws in huge crowds from across the emirate and beyond, with a total of 1.4 million people attending last year.
“The project will enhance the efficiency of the road network and improve traffic flow across the emirate,” said the transport authority when work on the upgrade started in June.
The upgrade is expected to be complete by February. When fully opened, the tunnel will have three lanes in each direction, with the capacity to handle up to 4,000 vehicles an hour.
The scheme is part of a broader effort to ease traffic flow in the busy commuter route between Sharjah and Dubai.
Two new lanes were opened in Dubai on Sunday on one of the country's main transport links under a major drive to ease travel to Sharjah.
The project will expand a stretch of Emirates Road – between Sharjah and Wadi Al Amardi on the outskirts of Dubai – by 5km and increase its capacity from 12,000 to 16,000 vehicles an hour.
