Interchange No.3 opens for traffic

The interchange includes two 105-metre long bridges that will ensure free flow of traffic between Umm Suqeim and Al Qouz Industrial Area. In addition to improvements to the Al Manara-Al Wasl intersection, signalised junctions were also built on the Al Quoz side on Road 8. The project involved a total of 16-km long inter-connected road network and four loops.

The municipality began work on the project in October 2003, which followed similar improvement projects completed during the past two years at Interchange Two (Al Safa Interchange) and Interchange Four (Police Academy Interchange) on the Shaikh Zayed Road.

The Roads Department at the municipality plans to replace all the interchanges on Shaikh Zayed Road with multi-connectivity interchanges over the next few years.

“The new clover-leaf interchange would help contain the additional traffic being generated by several new developments in the area such as the Dubai Internet and Media cities, Dubai Marina, the American University of Dubai, the Palm and a lot of other new developments,” Al Gergawi said.

He noted that a two-lane directional ramp was constructed to the south of the interchange to enable direct access to Al Qouz Industrial Area thereby ensuring free traffic flow to the area and the adjoining areas like Nad Al Sheba as well as the planned developments nearby.

This 370-metre ramp is located between the third and fourth interchanges.

Additionally, a fifth lane has been added in both directions of the Shaikh Zayed Road and it is six lanes at the site of the interchange, he said.

Al Gergawi said the improvements also included expansion of Al Manara Road into three lanes on both directions, expansion of service roads in Al Qouz Industrial Area by adding 8-km long additional roads thereby converting them into one-way roads on both directions, and construction of parking lots on both sides of the roads in order to serve businesses in the area.

New accesses and exits have been opened to and from Shaikh Zayed Road towards Al Thaniya and Umm Al Sheif Roads.

The roundabout at the industrial area has been replaced by a signalised intersection, which will reflect positively on the traffic movement in the area, particularly during the peak hours, said Al Gergawi.

All related roadway signs, street lighting, relocation or protection of utilities, construction of utility crossing as well as the construction of storm-water drainage and irrigation systems, for the new roadway improvement were also over, said Al Gergawi.

The improvement projects are the result of a comprehensive survey carried out by the municipality earlier to look for solutions for tackling the problem of increasing traffic on the road, and are considered essential to cope with the projected growth of the area, he added.