UAE traffic: Going back to work after holidays?
One bizarre sight was seeing residents during the UAE National Day holiday long weekend as streets in the country — normally filled with horny cars — slammed as people for the most part relaxed from their hectic work schedules.
Everyone will be back to normal on Wednesday, December 4 and big streets and highways will be clogged. Schools too will reopen after the long holiday of the year.
The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai has been bringing road projects and enhancements since the beginning of this year and several large projects have been finished in the last few months.
The new bridges to unclog and divert traffic to new lanes and access roads, here’s a rundown of the most recent changes to the road during morning and evening commutes.
Beirut Street
The users of Dubai’s Beirut Street can rejoice: the RTA has just added a lane on the three km from the intersection of Beirut Street with Al Nahda Street to Amman Street northbound. This will avoid traffic during evening peak periods.
This will decrease travel time by more than 30 per cent and the journey time will be reduced from 18 minutes to 12 minutes.
Among other improvements in the street, commute times are also reduced on Beirut Street to the Airport Tunnel, from Beirut Street to Baghdad Street to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.
The extensions benefit locals and visitors of surrounding communities from both directions, Muhaisnah, Al Qusais, Al Twar and Al Qusais Industrial Area.
Corridor linking SZR and E311
Four bridges and new streets connecting Sheikh Zayed Road and E311 have been built under the Al Jamayel Street Development Project (originally Garn Al Sabkha).
The upgrade also slashed 40 per cent travel time from Al Jamayel Street to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road in the direction of Al Qusais and Deira, during peak times, from 20 to 12 minutes.
To drivers using Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road — Al Yalayis Street, from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Jebel Ali Port — the journey time will be reduced by 70 per cent from 21 to seven minutes.
Here are the four new bridges:
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First bridge to avoid the traffic jams between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and the service road to Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Production City.
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Second bridge — Allows traffic from Al Jamayel Street eastwards towards Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and north towards Al Qusais and Deira.
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Third bridge provides seamless flow from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Al Yalayis Street and Jebel Ali Port.
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Fourth bridge between Al Jamayel Street and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road for free movement between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.
The new roads, which total more than 7km, are going from the junction with Sheikh Zayed Road to the junction with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, along First Al Khail Road and Al Asayel Street.
It is connected to a variety of residential and commercial zones such as Jumeirah Lakes Towers, The Gardens, Al Furjan, Discovery Gardens, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Park, The Springs, Emirates Hills, Dubai Production City, and Jumeirah Golf Estates.
5 new bridges, wider roads on Al Khail Road
New five bridges and new widening streets on Dubai’s Al Khail Road will reduce travel times and traffic jams for motorists.
The five bridges are:
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Zaabeel Palace Street Bridge: Three-lane pedestrian bridge between Oud Metha Street and Financial Centre Street intersection joins traffic on Zabeel Palace Street and Oud Metha Street with Al Khail Road to Jebel Ali.
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Meydan: There is a two-lane bridge over Al Meydan Road and Ras Al Khor Road which takes you from Meydan Street to Al Khail Road, in direction of Deira.
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Al Quoz 1: Two-lane highway bridge from Al Meydan Road to Al Waha Street, linking Meydan Street with Al Khail Road in Jebel Ali.
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Ghadeer Al Tair: A two-lane suspension bridge spanning Al Meydan Road and Latifa bint Hamdan Street, which stretches between Latifa Bint Hamdan Street and Al Khail Road, from Deira.
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Jumeirah Village Circle: The two-lane bridge connecting Hessa Street and Al Khamila Street connects Al Khail Road and Hessa Street.
They are the longer roads and new routes motorists can take to get to where they want without encountering traffic.
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Al Jaddaf
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Business Bay
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Meydan
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Al Quoz 1
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Ghadeer Al Tair
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Jumeirah Village Circle
New access points in Oud Metha
RTA now adds in and out entrances and exits from Umm Hurair Street to Oud Metha along with 317 metre deceleration and acceleration lanes.
The service road exit in Umm Hurair Street, for example, was increased from two to three lanes over a 100 metre distance, boosting road capacity by 50 per cent and reducing travel time by 40 per cent.
Al Makaweb School
Road improvements in and around Al Mawakeb School will reduce the number of minutes it takes parents to travel around the school from 15 minutes to 5 minutes between the time parents arrive to collect students and the time they leave.
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