DUBAI: Aligned with leadership directives to enhance infrastructure in residential areas, support urban expansion, and elevate residents' quality of life, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a project to improve access points for four neighbourhoods.

The upgraded entry and exit points – located along Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Emirates Road, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, and Hessa Street – will facilitate smoother access to and from Nadd Hessa, Al Awir 1, Al Barsha South, and Wadi Al Safa 3. Upon completion, these access points are expected to increase capacity by 50 to 80 percent.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, stated, “This project reflects RTA’s commitment to continually enhance infrastructure in residential areas, including road networks, lighting, and stormwater drainage, to accommodate increasing traffic volumes. With new entry and exit points connecting to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Emirates Road, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, and Hessa Street, the project will benefit over 400,000 residents. It also includes comprehensive roadworks and traffic solutions to improve mobility for residents and visitors across these communities.”

Al Tayer added, “The project includes an additional entry and exit for Nadd Hessa from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, with two lanes capable of accommodating 6,000 vehicles per hour. This enhancement will serve Nadd Hessa, Warsan 4, Hessa Gardens, and Dubai Silicon Oasis, which together have a population exceeding 300,000.

“The project extends from the intersection with the service road parallel to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to its intersection with Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street. It involves the construction of a two-lane road in each direction alongside Nad Hessa, with a roundabout for access to both Nadd Hessa and Dubai Silicon Oasis Complex. A signalised junction with Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street will also be implemented, reducing travel time by 80%, from 138 seconds to 37 seconds.”

The project entails constructing a 7.5 km road connecting Al Awir 1 to Emirates Road, creating a direct access route for this community inhabited by over 50,000 residents. The new entry and exit points will double the capacity, increasing from 1,500 to 3,000 vehicles per hour.

The development works in Al Barsha South are part of the ongoing Hessa Street Development Project, benefiting approximately 75,000 residents. This project includes modifications to the traffic light at Hessa Street and Al Barsha South intersection, adding a third left-turn lane to improve access from Hessa Street into Al Barsha South.

Additionally, Hessa Street is being widened by two lanes over a 1,114-metre stretch at the intersection, facilitating traffic flow from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road towards Al Khail Road. This expansion brings the total number of lanes to four in each direction, enhancing access to Al Barsha South and increasing traffic capacity from 6,000 to 9,000 vehicles per hour. The project also optimises traffic flow, reducing wait times at the signal from four minutes to just one.

In Wadi Al Safa 3, the project introduces direct access from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road for vehicles coming from Dubai–Al Ain Road. The works include 4 km of internal roads and new entry points to better serve residents. This enhancement will reduce travel distance by 10 km and cut travel time from 10 minutes to just two.

RTA is currently executing a project to add an entry and exit for Al Warqa, providing direct access from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to facilitate smoother access in and out of the area. The project involves an 8 km expansion of the internal road network to handle rising traffic volumes. Upon completion, it will increase capacity by 5,000 vehicles per hour, reduce travel time by 80 percent – from 20 minutes to just 3.5 minutes – and shorten travel distances from 5.7 km to 1.5 km. The project is scheduled for completion within one year.

This project will benefit over 350,000 residents by establishing a new entry and exit for Al Warqa from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, enhancing Al Warqa 1 Street, and upgrading existing roundabouts to signal-controlled intersections with specialised specifications to ease traffic congestion. These improvements are expected to increase the capacity of Al Warqa 1 Street by 30 percent.

RTA is also developing internal roads in Al Warqa 3 and Al Warqa 4 and will soon construct a 16 km cycling track to connect with nearby cycling routes.