Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the completion of 50% of the Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Roads Improvement Corridor.
The project, which extends eight kilometres along Ras Al Khor Road, runs from the intersection of the Dubai-Al Ain Road to the junction of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. Improvement works also include the construction of bridges extending 2km, a WAM report said.
“The project includes widening Ras Al Khor Road from three to four lanes in each direction and constructing a two-lane service road to enhance the traffic safety and ease the traffic flow, besides eliminating the existing overlapping traffic spots. It will also increase the capacity of Ras Al Khor Road to 10,000 vehicles per hour and slash the travel time from 20 to 7 minutes.
“The project serves a host of major development projects inhabited by 650,000 residents around The Lagoons, Dubai Creek Harbour, Meydan Horizons, Ras Al Khor, Al Wasl, and Nadd Al Hamar Complex,” said Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, RTA.
He added that the project also includes the improvement of the intersection of Nadd Al Hamar Road with Ras Al Khor Road. There will be an increase in the capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour by constructing a two-lane bridge extending 988 metres to enable free left-side turns of traffic inbound from Nadd Al Hamar Road heading in the direction of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Rd.
It also involves the construction of another 115-metre bridge to serve the traffic inbound from Nadd Al Hamar heading to Ras Al Khor Road in the direction of Dubai-Al Ain Road. A two-lane tunnel extending 368 metres will be constructed to enable right turns from Ras Al Khor Road to Nadd Al Hamar. The project works also include improvements at the existing intersection, and widening the existing turns
“The Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Roads Improvement Corridor is one of the biggest projects undertaken by the RTA. In future, it will include the construction of Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Crossing, a bridge crossing over Dubai Creek to link Al Jaddaf in Bur Dubai with the street between Dubai Creek Harbour Project and Dubai Festival City,” Al Tayer added.
The project has been divided into several phases. Last year, the RTA completed the construction of a three-lane bridge extending 740 metres leading to the Western entrance to (Dubai Creek – Dubai Creek Harbour). The bridge connects traffic inbound from Dubai – Al Ain Road and Al Khail Road, heading East to Dubai Creek – Dubai Creek Harbour area, with a capacity of 7,500 vehicles per hour.
The RTA has also constructed a new 1.5-km road of four lanes in each direction along with entry and exit points to and from the newly completed areas to facilitate traffic inbound from Nadd Al Hamar – Ras Al Khor Roads intersection, Al Tayer said.
“The new roads and bridges network contributed to streamlining the traffic flow to the newly completed housing units at the Dubai Creek, by linking them with the surrounding roads. The new roads were also fitted with lighting comprising 108 streetlight poles. Work is currently underway on constructing a 640-metre bridge to ensure smooth traffic movement from Dubai Creek Harbour project towards Ras Al Khor Road with a capacity of about 3,100 vehicles per hour,” he concluded.