Alsalam Tunnel to be completed by year end
Region?s longest traffic tunnel on track for 2010 launch says Abu Dhabi Municipality
The Middle East’s longest traffic tunnel, The Alsalam Tunnel, could be inaugurated by the end of the year, according to Abu Dhabi Municipality.
The 3km road worth AED 5 billion will allow motorists to enter from the emirate’s eastern side, travel under Alsalam Street towards Port Zayed and exit on the western tip without stopping.
Nearly 2km of the tunnel will be 15 metres underground and it will also link the mainland to nearby Reem Island; due to welcome its first residents after the tunnel’s opening.
The project conprises a further three stages: one 850m tunnel between Maqtaa Bridge and the Eastern Ring Road; one 850m link between Al Saada Street and Hazza Bin Zayed Road, and an expansion of Al Saada Street.
The current project, by South Korean Samsung Construction, has taken three years and involved more than 2000 workers. Construction has regularly brought traffic to a standstill around Salam Street and the Tourist Club area.
According to the municipality, construction of this phase is now in the final stages. However, it says water and electricity networks, sewage pipeline and rain drainage systems are still to be completed inside. A ventilation system will also be added to measure emissions.
The tunnel will address the need to expand the current road network in preparation for a three-fold increase in the local population over the next 20 years.
