The capital continues on its tunnel vision of bettering its roadways…

Rush hour rangers, phase one of Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed area expansion has successfully been completed, with the construction of two new tunnels to help smoothen the flow of traffic on our roads. The six-lane highway will accommodate up to 6,000 journeys per hour in each direction, and that comes as great news, especially to those of us with long commutes.

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While phase one also includes the addition of direction ramps and associated roads, subsequent phases will see the continued expansion of the network, driving forward the emirate’s vision to transform the Mina Zayed area into a major commercial hub. As of now, a flyover bridge, underground tunnels and Intelligent Transportation Systems are also up and running.

A quick peek at the numbers, and we’re told phase one of the project was headlined by the construction of open tunnels, with a total length of over 2 kilometres, as well as closed tunnels on two levels, spanning 1.3 kilometres. Both of these will help greatly in easing traffic congestion between the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed bridge and Corniche Road. With five lanes in each direction, over 10,000 vehicles can now travel either way every hour.

For those of you looking to get to the downtown core of the city, a two-lane road will transport you directly to Hamdan Street. Motorists departing from Saadiyat via Sheikh Khalifa bridge can use the tunnel to get to Corniche Street and Sheikh Zayed tunnel, and if the Tourist Club area, Reem Island or Al Maryah Island is where your Maps is set to, you can get there keeping far right.

As a general reminder during these times of change on the capital’s roads, the ITC reminds all of us to exercise caution and drive carefully at all times.

For more information, keep an eye on @itcabudhabi.