The highway is expected to complete by 2017
The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport recently announced that work on the Mafraq-Ghweifat main road and the new Abu Dhabi-Dubai main road will commence soon, with the Abu Dhabi Executive Council’s authorisation to appoint contractors to execute the project.
The Department added preparations to construct the new 62km long Abu Dhabi-Dubai road (E311) will cost $571 million (AED 2.1 billion) and is expected to complete by 2017. Featuring four lanes in each direction, the new main road is designed with two hard shoulders, six interchanges and a wide central reservation for a staged upgrade and future expansion, if needed.
Aimed at reducing traffic congestion on Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) – which is expected to rise from 700 vehicles per hour (at peak time) to more than 12,000 vehicles by 2030 – the expansion project is also being viewed as a strategic link between UAE’s two most crucial emirates besides creating new entrances into Abu Dhabi city.