Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded the contract for the construction of the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel Project. 

 

The key project, which come as part of Phase 4, covers the construction of a tunnel extending 1,650 m and encompassing three lanes in each direction. It provides a free traffic flow from the Infinity Bridge towards Deira and back. 

 

The scope of work includes transforming the crossing of the Cairo and Al Wuheida Streets from a roundabout to a signalised intersection, besides improving Cairo Street and connecting the ramp of the bridge from Dubai Islands to the new tunnel on Al Khaleej Street northward, said RTA in its statement. 

 

Extending from the end of the ramp of Infinity Bridge in Deira to the intersection of Al Khaleej and Cairo Streets, the tunnel has six lanes stretching 1,650m capable of accommodating up to 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.

 

This phase will serve the residents of Abu Hail, Al Wuheida, and Al Mamzar along with development projects like Dubai Islands, Dubai Waterfront, Waterfront Market, and Hamriya Port, it added.

 

Announcing the contract award, Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said: "Al Khaleej Street Tunnel is part of Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project; one of the expansive projects currently undertaken by RTA. This corridor extends 13km along Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street, encompassing the upgrade of 15 intersections and benefiting numerous residential and developmental communities including Dubai Islands, Dubai Waterfront, Dubai Maritime City, and Mina Rashid."

 

"It serves about one million people and is projected to cut travel times from 104 minutes to just 16 minutes by 2030," he stated.

 

According to him, RTA is currently working on a 4.8-km-long improvement project on Sheikh Rashid Street, extending from the intersection of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street to Falcon intersection on Al Mina Street. 

 

The project entails constructing three bridges totalling 3.1 km in length, accommodating 19,400 vehicles per hour across all lanes. 

 

"The first is a 1,335-m-long bridge of three lanes to facilitate the traffic flow between Sheikh Rashid Road and Falcon Intersection, accommodating up to 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions," said Al Tayer.

 

The second is a three-lane bridge extending 780m to serve traffic from Falcon Intersection in the direction of Al Wasl Road accommodating 5,400 vehicles per hour. The third is a 985-m-long bridge of two lanes to serve traffic inbound from Jumeirah Street heading to Al Mina Street toward Al Wasl Street, accommodating 3,200 vehicles per hour. 

 

"The project also entails constructing a 4.8km roadway and upgrading surface junctions along Jumeirah Street, Al Mina Street, and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street. 

 

"Works include constructing two pedestrian bridges, one on Sheikh Rashid Road and the other on Al Mina Street in addition to other works such as street lighting, traffic systems, rainwater drainage network and irrigation systems," he added.-TradeArabia News Service