Roadworks cause chaos for Sharjah commuters

The Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority started the Dh11.4 million maintenance and upgrade project on King Faisal Road at the weekend.

Drivers on Al Estiqlal Street take detours as Sharjah’s King Faisal Road has been closed for maintenance. Reem Mohammed / The National

SHARJAH // A multimillion-dirham roadwork scheme to upgrade a busy thoroughfare in Sharjah city centre will create more traffic problems unless more entrances and exits are installed for motorists, commuters and residents living nearby have said.

The Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority started the Dh11.4 million maintenance and upgrade project on King Faisal Street at the weekend with drivers reporting chaotic scenes as people struggled to navigate around temporary closures and alternative routes.

“It was chaos, everybody was confused, just like me, small roundabouts on the parallel road have been clogged with people trying to reverse their way back to the road because some exits were closed,” said Ahmad Yousef, a 31-year-old Egyptian sales agent.

“Every exit I tried to use had been closed. It took me a long time, and a long drive out of my way to reach my job.”

To minimise disruption, the RTA and Sharjah Police diverted traffic from Sharjah Central market, Corniche Street and Ittihad Square headed towards King Faisal Road to a parallel service road, while traffic in the opposite direction was diverted to a bridge near the central market.

The project is expected to be finished by the end of the year and will involve a two kilometre stretch being resurfaced and pedestrian crossings revamped and enhanced, with additional crossings added.

Motorists are urged to exercise caution and use alternative routes to avoid delays.

Indian M A, who lives in Abu Shogara, said there should be more exits to help those living close to King Faisal Street get in and out easily.

“The RTA should have added more exits. The way it is going right now would be acceptable, however, when residents are back from their summer vacations, and schools are back, it will be a nightmare.”

Omran Yousef, who lives just off King Faisal Street, said the area was already heavily congested with customers from local car dealerships even before the maintenance work began.

“It’s really disturbing the amount of cars and honking car horns we hear and with the influx of vehicles trying to evade the congestion, the disturbance and traffic increased dramatically,” said the 38-year-old.

Sharjah Police and the RTA met on Tuesday with contractors to find an answer to the area’s traffic jams. Brig Saif Al Zari, director of Sharjah Police, ordered more exits and entrances be added to ease the burden on residents and motorists.

A spokesman for Sharjah Police said more traffic patrols would also be deployed with officers at key points near the roadworks to help the flow of traffic.

The King Faisal Street project is the latest of several maintenance and upgrade works being carried out on vital roads around the emirate, with works on Lake Khalid Corniche street recently coming to an end.