Traffic on Al Falah street in capital to be affected

Al Falah Street in the capital will be temporarily reduced to two lanes starting from today as part of the ongoing construction work on Salam Street. The left lane of the road, also known as 9th Street, will be closed from its intersection with Salam Street and the intersection with the Hazaa Bridge, Abu Dhabi Municipality said yesterday. No date was announced for when the lane would be reopened.

Once completed, Salam Street will have an eight-lane tunnel extending from Mina Road to beyond the junction with Al Falah Street, where it will become an exposed underpass. Motorists have been frustrated by the traffic jams caused by the road closures since the project began in October 2007. Officials said last month that the Dh5 billion project, which involves 3,200 workers, will be finished on schedule by the end of the year.

The municipality addressed the issue of lanes still blocked by traffic cones, saying in a statement: "The fourth lane between road 19 and 29 along Al Salam Street will remain closed until the completion of the work along contract two [two new 850-metre tunnels]." @Email:[e-mail]