Dubai's new road projects relieve residents of daily traffic woes

Residents who use the roads in Dubai are heaving a sigh of relief after at least four new roads projects have been executed easing traffic snarls at several important junctures of the city.

The emirate has spent over Dh140 billion on the improvement of roads and transport infrastructure since 2006.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has brought about massive infrastructure improvements over the past 15 years in the emirate.

Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, opined, “The length of the road network increased from 8,715 lane-kilometres in 2006 to 18,255 lane-kilometres in 2020.”

Khaleej Times spoke to a few residents who are now relieved of daily traffic woes as many of the key road projects have been completed or are witnessing work-in-progress with more free detour lanes being built to facilitate uninterrupted traffic movement.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) recently opened a new bridge linking Al Manama and Al Meydan Streets, crossing over the Dubai Al Ain Road.

The roundabout on this junction has been eradicated and the RTA has adjusted the sloping ends of the existing bridges on Al Meydan Street.

“The traffic congestion on this route has eased a lot as compared to what it was earlier. I live close to Ras Al Khor Road. So I take that route whenever I go towards Meydan. I often go cycling when the weather is good. Dubai and RTA is investing a lot in giving the city a facelift. When I came in the year 2006, the emirate looked so different. But with all this world class infrastructure the city has truly become world class”, says Dubai resident, Mohamed Danish.

The bridge extends 328 meters and consists of four lanes in each direction that can accommodate 16,000 vehicles per hour with the sloping ends of the bridge spanning 400 metres.

In July, a new road project was initiated to ease traffic towards Al Qudra Lakes which is one of the favourite hangout spots for residents and visitors.

Once the project is done, the road will have three roundabouts that will ease traffic movement in all directions and connect with the entry points of Al Qudra Lakes.

Dubai resident Arijit Nandi says, “I have been going to the Al Qudra cycling track for years now. As a family as well, we’ve been going to the lake area for picnics, usually, when the weather gets better during the more pleasant months. Over the years, it has become an attractive destination in the city for families to go and enjoy nature. However, the traffic situation leading up to the Al Qudra lakes had been bothering people. The idea of a two carriageway will definitely ensure smooth flow of inbound and outbound traffic from the lakes. Dubai’s investment in infrastructure projects is truly unparalleled.”

Similarly, a new bridge that opened on Al Khaleej Street in May has eased traffic towards Bur Dubai. The bridge extends up to 570 metres and comprises three lanes in the direction of Bur Dubai, as well as a surface junction at the intersection of Al Khaleej Street and Omar bin Al Khattab Street.

The opening is part of Shindagha Roads Corridor, one of the biggest road projects undertaken by the RTA that extends 13km from Sheikh Rashid Street and passes through Al Mina Street and Al Khaleej Street up to Cairo Street.

Omar Farooq who lives in Al Nahda Dubai and works in BurJuman Mall uses this route daily. He says, “There used to be a lot of congestion on this road because of the traffic signals moving towards Shindagha. A lot of people used to use this road to avoid the toll. But now traffic movement is more orderly and smooth after the construction of this bridge as compared to the daily bottlenecks and tailgating that I experienced earlier.”

Project linking Dubai-Sharjah slashed travel time from 25 minutes to 9 minutes

A new project linking Dubai and Sharjah was opened to the public in April, slashing travel time from 25 minutes to 9 minutes.

Al Khawaneej Roads Improvement Project includes an underpass of three lanes in each direction at the junction of Al Khawaneej and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Roads. It also includes a bridge of two lanes in each direction at the junction of Al Amardi and Emirates Roads in the direction of Al Awir.