Dubai launches Dh1.5bn road project to improve connectivity on key routes

Dubai has awarded a Dh1.5 billion ($410 million) contract to develop Al Fay Street, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Sunday, with the aim of improving connectivity to residential areas such as Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Production City.

The project will focus on five key junctions, featuring 13.5km of bridges and 12.9km of road, which construction carried out in two phases. The first will be completed by 2027 and the second the following year.

The aim is to "provide seamless and direct traffic flow along Al Khail Road towards Emirates Road [and] facilitate movement between Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road", said Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the RTA. He said the move will "significantly enhance east-west connectivity".

Mr Al Tayer said the project will benefit 600,000 people and improve connectivity to residential areas such as Dubai Sports City, Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Production City, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Tilal Al Ghaf, Damac Lagoons, The Oasis and Remraam.

The move is in line with the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance the emirate's road infrastructure to accommodate urban and population expansion.

Five junctions

The first junction will feature a two-lane bridge, spanning 1.25km, at the intersection of Al Khail Road and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road. It will have capacity for 3,200 vehicles an hour and will accommodate traffic from Deira along Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road towards Al Fay Street and Emirates Road. Service roads in both directions will be expanded to improve traffic flow.

Additionally, two bridges with two lanes each, spanning 2.04km and with a combined capacity of 6,400 vehicles an hour in both directions, will be built to accommodate traffic to and from Jumeirah Village Circle, connecting it with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road.

The second junction will be developed at the roundabout between Dubai Sports City and Dubai Production City, converting it into a signal-controlled intersection to handle the volume of traffic. It will also include the construction of a bridge over Al Fay Street, spanning 960 metres, with four lanes in each direction and a capacity of 14,400 vehicles an hour. A grade-separated service road, spanning 780 metres with two lanes, will be built to help traffic flow from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road towards Emirates Road, with a capacity of 3,200 vehicles an hour.

A third intersection will be built where Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street meets Al Fay Street. It will feature a three-lane bridge in each direction, spanning 1.4km and accommodating 9,600 vehicles an hour. Another five-lane bridge on Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street will span 1.4km and handle 9,000 vehicles an hour. The project will include two service roads, each with three lanes in either direction, spanning 1.4km with a combined capacity of 9,600 vehicles an hour.

At the fourth junction, a two-lane bridge will be built to ease traffic flow from Al Fay Street on to Emirates Road towards Al Awir, Al Khawaneej, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. This bridge will span 1km and have a capacity of 3,200 vehicles an hour. Additionally, a two-lane bridge will be built to accommodate traffic from Emirates Road on to Al Fay Street heading towards Deira. This bridge will measure 1.15km and have a capacity of 3,200 vehicles an hour.

The fifth junction will provide direct access from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road to Dubai Production City via two, two-lane bridges, spanning a total of 2.25km and offering a combined capacity of 6,400 vehicles an hour.