Dubai on Sunday announced the completion of a major road expansion drive aimed at slashing travel times across one of the emirate's busiest transport links.
The Oud Metha Road and Al Asayel Street project included the construction of four key junctions, four bridges, two tunnels and an additional 14 kilometres of road to help combat congestion and make travel smoother for thousands of motorists.
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority said the scheme would increase Oud Metha Road's capacity from 10,400 vehicles to 15,600 vehicles per hour and would seek to reduce average journey times from 20 minutes to only five minutes.
The Oud Metha and Al Asayel Street scheme - which is expected to serve 420,000 residents in the area by 2030 - is part of the wider Sheikh Rashid Corridor Development Project, established to meet the needs of growing communities in the historic heart of the city.
Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the Roads and Transport Authority, has previously set out the importance of the road upgrade plan.
“The project is one of the key infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing Dubai’s road network," Mr Al Tayer said in July.
“The project supports several service, residential and development areas, most notably Zabeel, Al Jaddaf, Oud Metha and Umm Hurair, as well as Latifa Hospital and Al Wasl Club."
Building for the future
The Dubai government is continuing to invest heavily in road infrastructure to help keep pace with a sustained population boom.
The emirate's population reached 4.74 million by the end of June, rebounding strongly after a slight dip at the height of the Iran war.
This week, Dubai approved a new 80km motorway connecting the emirate to Sharjah and Abu Dhabi to ease congestion.
The first phase, which will cost Dh3.5 billion, is expected to cut travel times by up to 60 per cent and strengthen connectivity between emirates. This stretch will run from Al Shanouf Road to Dubai-Al Ain Road.
The 12-lane road will accommodate up to 24,000 vehicles per hour in both directions and is expected to serve more than 3.1 million people.
The motorway will include 72 bridges, 17 tunnels and 45 stormwater drainage culverts and will form a major new transport link across the UAE. Phase two will extend from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al Faya Road in Abu Dhabi.
