Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is investing $102 million (AED 374 million) in a roads and infrastructure initiative to reduce travel time between Dubai and Sharjah to only 12 minutes.
As part of this initiative, RTA has awarded a contract for the Garn Al Sabkha Street Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road Intersection Improvement Project.
To achieve this, the project will involve the construction of four bridges that span a distance of three kilometers. These bridges will be strategically placed to facilitate the movement of vehicles and ease congestion.
The first bridge, which is 960 meters long and has two lanes, will be located at the intersection of Garn Al Sabkha Street and Al Asayel Street. It will provide a seamless flow of traffic between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, accommodating 8,000 vehicles per hour.
The second bridge, spanning 660 meters with two lanes, will serve the traffic from Garn Al Sabkha Street heading westwards to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road towards Al Qusais and Sharjah. It will have a capacity of handling 3,200 vehicles per hour.
The third bridge, also with two lanes, will be 700 meters long and will ease traffic flow from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Al Yalayis Road in the direction of Jebel Ali Port. It will also accommodate 3,200 vehicles per hour.
The fourth bridge, a two-lane link spanning 680 meters, will ensure smooth traffic flow from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to the service road leading to Dubai Production City. It will have a capacity of handling 3,200 vehicles per hour.
In addition to the bridges, the project will include 7 kilometers of roadwork, enhancements to surface intersections on the service road parallel to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and the installation of street lights, traffic signals and systems, rainwater drainage networks, and irrigation systems.
Once completed, the project is expected to reduce travel distance and time by 40%. Motorists traveling from Garn Al Sabkha Street to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road in the direction of Al Qusais and Sharjah will see their journey times during peak hours reduced from 20 minutes to just 12 minutes.
Moreover, the project will cut travel time from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Al Yalayis Road, a crucial route to Jebel Ali Port, by 70%. The travel time will be reduced from 21 minutes to only 7 minutes.
