Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened two major bridges recently, as part of the Garn Al Sabkha-Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road Intersection Improvement Project. The first is a two-lane bridge, spanning 601 m with a capacity of 3,200 vehicles per hour. It serves the eastward traffic from Garn Al Sabkha Street to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, then northward towards Al Qusais and Deira.
The second is a two-lane bridge, spanning 664 m, enabling free traffic flow by eliminating overlapping of traffic coming from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road heading southward towards Al Yalayis Street and Jebel Ali Port. It is designed to accommodate 3,200 vehicles per hour.
All project works on the intersection project are set to be completed this October with the opening of the final bridge, which will connect the intersection of Garn Al Sabkha Street with Al Asayel Street. This bridge spans 943 m, with two lanes in each direction, and is designed to handle 8,000 vehicles per hour in total. It will ensure seamless traffic flow between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.
Crucial Link
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, RTA, announced that the completion rate had clocked 97% in Garn Al Sabkha-Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road Intersection Improvement Project.
“The project constitutes a crucial link between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, thus facilitating the traffic flow between Sheikh Zayed Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, First Al Khail Road, and Al Asayel Street. The project entails the construction of four bridges, stretching 2,874 m in total with a capacity of 17,600 vehicles per hour. Last June, RTA inaugurated a two-lane bridge extending 666 m with a capacity of 3,200 vehicles per hour. It contributed to the smooth movement of vehicles by eliminating the overlapping of traffic from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to the service road leading to the entrances to Jumeirah Golf Estates and Dubai Production City,” noted Al Tayer.
Cutting Journey Time
“Upon completion, the project will cut the distance and journey time from Garn Al Sabkha Street to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road towards Al Qusais and Deira by 40%, from 20 minutes to 12 minutes during peak hours. It will also reduce the journey time for motorists coming from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road heading rightward to Al Yalayes Street in the direction of Jebel Ali Port by 70%, from 21 minutes to 7 minutes,” added Al Tayer.
The project entails road works spanning 7 km including improvements to the surface intersections on the service road parallel to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, in addition to streetlights, traffic signals, traffic systems, stormwater drainage networks, and irrigation systems.
Garn Al Sabkha-Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road Intersection Improvement Project is part of RTA’s master plan to develop strategic east-west traffic corridors and arterial roads, such as the recently completed Al Yalayes Street and Expo Street. These corridors support Dubai’s mobility networks, serve many development projects on both sides, and accommodate current and future traffic volumes.
