The new Dubai bridge is part of the RTA’s Al Khail Road improvement project to ease traffic flow and reduce commute time… 

While the temperatures outside (it’s the humidity!) still scream Dubai summer, the traffic on the roads tells a different story. With schools reopening this week, it’s clear the city is back to business as usual.

To help ease the inevitable traffic woes, a new three-lane bridge has just opened: the Zaa’beel Palace Street Bridge. Spanning 700-metres, the bridge connects Zaa’beel Palace Street and Oud Metha Road to Al Khail Road, directing traffic towards Jebel Ali/Abu Dhabi. The bridge, designed to handle up to 4,800 vehicles per hour, is a key feature of the Roads and Transport Authority’s (RTA) Al Khail Road improvement project, which was announced earlier this year.

The ambitious Dhs700million project includes the the construction of bridges spanning 3,300 metres, along with road improvement works spanning 6,820 metres across seven locations along Al Khail Road, including Zabeel, Meydan, Al Quoz 1, Ghadeer Al Tair, and Jumeirah Village Circle.

The aim of the project is to expand the road network to accommodate the continually growing volume of traffic, improve road infrastructure to cater to the urban and demographic needs of the city, and thereby, cut down travel times by 30 per cent.

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In November, there will also be two new Salik toll gates in Dubai, taking the total number of toll gates in Dubai from eight to 10. The new Salik roads in Dubai will be the Business Bay Crossing on Al Khail Road and the second in Al Safa South on Sheikh Zayed Road between Al Meydan Street and Umm Al Sheif Street.

The Business Bay Crossing gate is set to alleviate traffic congestion by 12 to 15 per cent on Al Khail Road, decrease traffic volume by 10 to 16 per cent on Al Rabat Street, and redirect traffic to Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud bridges and Ras Al Khor Street.

@rta_dubai

Images: Wam