The Dubai-Al Ain Road Improvement Project, worth Dhs2 billion, was inaugurated by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.From the intersection of Emirates Road to the intersection of Ras Al Khor Road, the project spans 17 kilometers. The road was widened from three to six lanes in each direction, and six major interchanges, as well as bridges and ramps, were built over an 11.5-kilometer stretch.
The Emirates Road, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Nad Al Sheba Road, Al Meydan Road, and Ras Al Khor Road were all improved as part of the project.
These junctions serve the residential communities on both sides of the road such as the Academic City, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubailand Residential Complex, Liwan, and the Dubai Design District. The bridges at the six junctions stretch 6,600 metres long while their ramps span 4,900 metres in total, official news agency WAM reported.
The improvement of Dubai-Al Ain Road junctions included the construction of a ramp at the intersection of the Emirates Road and the Dubai-Al Ain Road and a 220-metre bridge to link Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street (north and south) with the Dubai-Al Ain Road, comprised of four lanes in each direction.
Works also included improving the existing ramp to serve inbound traffic movement from the Dubailand Residential Complex heading westwards to the Dubai-Al Ain Road in the direction of Dubai; and the construction of a new 528-metre ramp to serve inbound traffic from Dubai heading northwards to Academic City and the Dubai Silicon Oasis.
Other project works included the improvement of the Nad Al Sheba intersection to serve traffic from the Dubai-Al Ain Road to Nad Al Sheba and vice versa along with improvements of the inward and outwards surface roads of the Nad Al Sheba district.
Improvements covered the junction of Al Meydan Road with the Dubai-Al Ain Road, which has been linked with Al Manama Street by a four-lane bridge in each direction. Moreover, the previous bridge connecting Al Meydan Road and the Dubai-Al Ain Road has been improved to serve the residential projects of Meydan.
Sheikh Hamdan said: “Dubai continues to advance the implementation of infrastructure development plans aimed at enhancing human welfare and catalysing sustainable economic growth.”
The government has always placed the highest priority on constantly improving Dubai’s road infrastructure, since it plays an important role in raising the emirate’s competitiveness in addition to creating an attractive business and investment environment and providing a high quality of life for the community, he added.
The project will benefit 1.5 million people living or working in the neighbourhood on both sides of the road. It also serves 25 universities and colleges where a total of 27,500 students are enrolled.
Meanwhile, the improvements will double the intake of the road from 12,000 to 24,000 vehicles per hour in both directions and slash the travel time on the Dubai-Al Ain Road from the intersection of Ras Al Khor Road to the intersection of the Emirates Road by 50 per cent from 16 minutes to eight minutes during peak time.
Of the two projects already under construction, the first is the Al Manama Street Improvement Project where the existing roundabouts will be transformed into signalised junctions, construction of which is expected to be complete in September. The other is the improvement of the junction of the Academic City on Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street Project, which is scheduled for completion in December this year.
