Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is set to start work on the Dh500 million ($136 million) Tripoli Roads project, which on completion, will help ease traffic between Dubai and its neighbouring emirate Sharjah.
The contract for the 12-km stretch, that will provide a new link between Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed road and Emirates Road, was approved by Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, said a statement from RTA.
The project provides a parallel and supporting corridor to the Airport Road Improvement Project, which the RTA is currently implementing at a cost of Dh490 million ($133.3 million), thus taking the total cost of both projects to almost Dh1 billion ($272 million), it added.
Mattar Al Tayer, the director general and chairman of the board of executive directors at RTA said: "The project aims to enhance the link between Dubai and Sharjah besides easing traffic congestions, streamlining traffic movement and stepping up safety along this corridor."
"Upon completion, the project will act as a parallel to Al Amardi–Al Khawaneej as well as Al Awir-Ras Al Khor corridors. The new project has an intake of about 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions (6,000 vehicles per hour per direction) and is set to ease the traffic flow on these two corridors by 30 per cent," he added.
Al Tayer said the project, which links the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road, includes the widening of Tripoli Road over a 6.5 km stretch from the intersection with the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (nearby Mirdif City Centre) up to the Academic City Road.
"The scope of work also includes the construction of a new 5.3 km road of three lanes in each direction from the intersection of the Academic City up to the Emirates Road. Thus, the overall length of the corridor is almost 12 km," he noted.
According to him, the project also covers the development of interchanges across the corridor starting with the upgrading of Tripoli-Algiers Roads junction to a tunnel of three lanes in each direction to serve the traffic flow inbound from Rabat Road heading to Tripoli Road.
Works also include upgrading the current at-grade signalised intersection. With the completion of these works, the waiting time at the existing intersection is expected to drop from three minutes to less than one minute.
The project also includes upgrading Tripoli- Nouakchott junction to a bridge of three lanes in each direction, improving the existing at-grade signalized junction, and transforming the intersection of Tripoli-Academic City Roads into a flyover to ensure a smooth traffic flow.
Al Tayer said work is progressing well on the Airport Road project with nearly 30 per cent construction already completed.
The scope of work includes construction of bridges, a tunnel at the intersection of Marrakech, and bridges at the intersection of Rashidiya as well as the intersections of the Airport Road with Casablanca Road and Nad Al Hamar Road.
"The project is part of a plan set by RTA for accommodating the projected growth in the number of passengers using the Dubai International Airport, which is expected to shoot to 92 million passengers by 2020," he added.-TradeArabia News Service