Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has signed off on a major road improvement project worth AED 500mn ($272mn).
Tripoli Road will be widened and lengthened to provide a link between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road.
The project provides a parallel and supporting corridor to the Airport Road Improvement Project, which the RTA is currently implementing at a cost of AED 490mn. Thus, the combined cost of both projects is almost AED 1bn.
Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) HE Mattar Al Tayer 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 AmardiAl 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 (6000 vehicles per hour per direction) and is set to ease the traffic flow on these two corridors by 30%.
The project 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. It 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.
The awarding of Tripoli Road project coincides with the construction of Airport Road at a cost of AED 490mn whose completion rate has touched 30 percent. 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.