Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is set to open the final bridge of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project on October 30. The 1,000-m-long, two-lane bridge will accommodate 3,000 vehicles per hour, serving traffic from Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street.
The bridge will improve traffic flow at one of Dubai’s key intersections, cutting journey time from Al Majlis Street to 2nd December Street from six minutes to one minute, said a statement from RTA.
With its opening, RTA will have completed all major works under the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project, which include five bridges with a combined length of 5,000m at a cost exceeding AED696 million ($189.4 million).
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said: "The completion of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project is in line with the directives of the wise leadership to continue upgrading Dubai’s road infrastructure, improve traffic flow on Sheikh Zayed Road and enhance connectivity between the emirate’s leading economic and commercial centres."
"The project will also increase road network capacity to keep pace with Dubai’s rapid population, urban and economic growth, reinforce its global leadership in business, investment and tourism, and provide an integrated, sustainable mobility system that reinforce the emirate’s competitiveness, facilitates travel for residents and visitors, and enhances quality of life," he stated.
Al Tayer said the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project is one of Dubai’s strategic road network projects, given its vital location on Sheikh Zayed Road, the emirate’s main traffic artery, and its role in linking key road corridors with key economic, commercial and residential areas.
"These include Dubai World Trade Centre, which hosts major international exhibitions, conferences and events, and Dubai International Financial Centre, one of the world’s leading financial centres, alongside surrounding areas that experience heavy traffic throughout the day," he noted.
"The project will deliver a major improvement in traffic flow through free-flowing connections in multiple directions, stronger links between Sheikh Zayed Road and surrounding key streets, and a reduction in average delay at the intersection from 12 minutes to 90 seconds. These improvements will facilitate access to key destinations and benefit more than 500,000 residents and tourists," he added.
Al Tayer pointed out that WTC Roundabout project complements Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project, where work is progressing rapidly. Scheduled for completion next year, Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project includes bridges and tunnels spanning a total of 1,500m and expansion of the street to four lanes in each direction.
World Trade Centre Roundabout is one of Dubai’s major intersections, connecting Sheikh Zayed Road with five key streets: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Street, 2nd December Street, Za’abeel Palace Street and Al Majlis Street.
The project involved converting the former roundabout into an at-grade intersection and constructing five bridges with a combined length of 5,000m.
These bridges provide free-flowing traffic in all directions, enhance connectivity between major road corridors, increase the intersection’s capacity and facilitate travel between surrounding commercial and residential areas, he added.
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