DUBAI // The Arabian Ranches Interchange will open today, bringing relief to frustrated drivers caught up in traffic jams. After two years of construction, the road that connects Emirates Road with Umm Suqeim and Al Qudrah roads, is officially ready for drivers. The giant new interchange, considered to be the biggest in the country, consists of 11 flyovers and an underpass.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said yesterday the project had cost Dh410 million (US$111.6m). "The previous roundabout at the intersection of Emirates Road has been replaced by the multi-tier flyover," said Maitha bin Adai, the chief executive of the RTA's Traffic and Roads Agency. The project also included widening Umm Suqeim Road to four lanes in each direction and Al Qudrah Road to two lanes in each direction, she said.
"Traffic and Roads Agency teams have completed directional and cautionary signs as per the guidelines of the RTA. We ask motorists to be more attentive and abide by directions shown on road signs, hoping them safe and smooth mobility." Drivers have been used to long queues on roads leading up to the roundabout on Emirates Road, near Dubailand, but officials from the RTA are hoping that the new interchange will solve the problem.
The RTA also announced that one stream of Sheikh Zayed Road towards Dubai, between the sixth Interchange and Ibn Battuta, would be closed today from 2am to 10am. @Email:pmenon@thenational.ae
