A huge highway that will help connect Abu Dhabi to Dubai is 70 per cent complete.

An eight-lane expressway that will help divert traffic from Sheikh Zayed Road and will help to connect Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the northern emirates is 70 per cent complete according to the Abu Dhabi General Services.

The highway (pictured above) will cost Dhs2.1 billion to build and will be complete by the end of the year.

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It will cover a distance of 62 kilometres and will be able to take up to 7,000 vehicles per hour, with one of its primary goals being to reduce current congestion and accidents on Sheikh Zayed Road (E11).

It is an extension of Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (which currently ends at the Seih Shuaib area near the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border). With four lanes each way, it will also include six bridges and six underground passes.

Here’s a map that shows the point at which Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road currently ends (it’s the road running parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road (E11):

abu-dhabi-dubai-border

The new road will run from Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road inland toward Sweihan Interchange. It will pass through Al Maha Forest, Kizad, Al Ajban Road and Zayed Military City to Sweihan Road. There will be an exit to connect vehicles to the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road (E22) too.

Here’s a map to give you an idea of where Sweihan is (the red area is Sweihan, and the orange road that runs horizontally through the top third of the red area is Sweihan Road):

sweihan

“The new highway will relieve the traffic pressure on the current Abu Dhabi-Dubai Road, bring down the number of accidents, connect Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone with the current and future road network,” said Faisal Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of Highways at the Department of Transport.

But there are future plans for the road too:  “When complete, the project will form part of an additional road linking Abu Dhabi with Dubai and the Northern Emirates,” he added.

Exciting stuff.

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Photos: Twitter/Dubai Media Office & Google Maps.