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Al Mamzar exit opened

DUBAI - The Al Mamzar exit on the Dubai-bound side of the Ittihad Road (Dubai-Sharjah Highway) was reopened yesterday by Dubai Municipality, almost two-and-a-half years after it was blocked with concrete barriers.

The re-opening of the exit was expected in April last but was delayed due to the postponement in the shifting of the Central Fruits and Vegetables Market from Hamriya to Al Warsan.

The pleasantly surprised morning throng of thousands of motorists on the highway were grinning ear-to-ear in reaction to the sudden and unexpected move, which many believe will help reduce the regular traffic snarls on the road.

Commenting on the issue Mattar Al Tayer, Assistant Director-General of Dubai Municipality for Roads and General Projects Affairs, pointed out that the reopening of the exit was on the cards for a long time. "The municipality had planned to reopen the exit soon after the Central Fruits and Vegetables Market was shifted from Hamriya to Al Warsan. Now that the market has been shifted, we went ahead with the plan," he said.

He added: "We believe that the reopening of the exit will help the traffic situation on Ittihad Road only to a certain extent. Motorists can help the situation by taking the other available accesses, such as the alternative roads (connecting Sharjah to Dubai) in Muhaisna, Al Ghusais, and the Emirates Road."

Khaleej Times had reported late last year on the municipality's plans to reopen the Al Mamzar exit, following the shifting of the market and subject to the results of a proposed study on the impact of the move on the Al Mamzar residential area. According to officials, the proposed two-month study was to commence with the completion of the market's shifting.

The shifting of the market, an official at the municipality explained, was connected to the study since the civic body wanted to study traffic on the roads in question sans trucks or heavy vehicles. The exit was closed primarily because of heavy vehicles, connected to the Hamriya market that created chaos in the quiet residential area of Al Mamzar.

The reopened route would, therefore, be kept out of bounds for heavy vehicular traffic, while the situation in Al Mamzar will be monitored to study the impact of light vehicles' traffic on the environment of the residential area."

A sources at the civic body said the interchange would not be modified to restrict the flow of traffic in any possible direction. It is expected that the interchange would be further developed by increasing its connectivity to other major roads or road networks, the source added.

Officials at Dubai Municipality said that the reopening of the Al Mamzar exit alone will not solve the traffic problem on the highway - it will rather cause bottlenecks in the area. The traffic movement between Al Ghusais and Al Mamzar, they believe, will be affected, as a considerable part of the heavy traffic on Ittihad Road would use the exit. The interchange is expected to be used by 3,000 vehicles per hour.