Road works to ease traffic woes between Dubai and Sharjah

A rendering of the improvements that will be made to Tripoli Road that were approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday. Wam

DUBAI // An extra Dh500 million worth of road improvements to ease traffic flow between Dubai and Sharjah has been approved by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.

The Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai gave the go ahead for works along a 12 kilometre stretch of Tripoli Road to provide a link between the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road.

The project provides a parallel road corridor to the Airport Road improvement works, already underway by the Roads and Transport Authority at a cost of Dh490 million.

“The project aims to enhance the link between Dubai and Sharjah easing traffic congestions, streamlining traffic movement and stepping up safety along this corridor,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority.

“Upon completion the project will act as a parallel to Al Amardi–Al Khawaneej as well as Al Awir-Ras Al Khor corridors. The new project has an intake of about 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions and is set to ease the traffic flow on these two corridors by 30 per cent.

“The project, which links Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road, includes the widening of Tripoli Road over a 6.5km stretch from the intersection with the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road near Mirdif City Centre up to Academic City Road. It also includes the construction of a new 5.3km road of three lanes in each direction from the Academic City intersection up to Emirates Road,” added Mr Al Tayer.

Also included in the road improvement project is: upgrading of the Tripoli-Algiers Roads junction to a tunnel of three lanes in each direction to serve traffic from Rabat Road heading to Tripoli Road; upgrading Tripoli-Nouakchott Roads junction to a three-lane bridge in each direction; improving the Tripoli-Emirates Roads junction with a bridge to serve traffic inbound from Tripoli Road heading to Emirates Road in the direction of Sharjah; construction of bridges and a tunnel at the intersection of Marrakech Road; bridges at the Rashidiya intersection of as well as intersections of the Airport Road with Casablanca Road and Nad Al Hamar Road.

“The awarding of Tripoli Road project is part of a plan set by RTA for accommodating the projected growth in the number of passengers using the Dubai International Airport, which is expected to shoot to 92 million passengers by 2020. Thus the traffic study showed the importance of finalising the improvement of the Airport Road by 2017,” said Mr Al Tayer.