Shindagha Tunnel — 36 and going strong

At 36 years, Shindagha Tunnel is one of the oldest and busiest crossings across the Dubai Creek, and yet, according to a senior RTA official, it is fit to weather many more storms.

A vital link between Shindagha area in Bur Dubai and Al Ras in Deira, 55,000 vehicles ply through the tunnel in each direction daily, putting the annual count to 38 million vehicles.

Regular maintenance works — the first major repair was done in 1985 and has continued every year since then — have kept the tunnel in good condition, adding many more years to the originally declared life expectancy.

Speaking exclusively to Khaleej Times, Eng. Maitha Mohammed bin Adai, CEO of the RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency, said that the continuous maintenance works have added at least 15 years to the 50 years of life declared at the inception of the tunnel.

“At the time of inauguration, the structure design life would have been determined by the design code procedure applicable at that time, which in the case of Shindagha Tunnel, was 50 years. Since then, regular maintenance work has been carried out, as is our policy with all our services, adding many more years of life to the structure,” said Maitha. Elaborating on the type of maintenance work the tunnel has been subjected to so far, Maitha said that “the first major reinforcement work carried out in 1986 saw special procedures employed to check the leakages, deterioration of concrete and oxidization of steel, providing an additional life of 15 years for the tunnel.”

The important maintenance works included administering resin injections at joints to prevent leakages and shrinkage-related hairline cracks, replacing spilled concrete with new high quality alternative and, application of airtight coating on walls and ceiling to protect steel from oxidization etc. She said that maintenance works of world-class standards were being carried out in a highly professional manner, which has heavily contributed to keeping the constructional and operational condition of the tunnel in the best form. Regular inspections, studies and tests have followed with expert recommendations being implemented at the highest international standards,
adding to the strength and serviceability of the structure.

“The results of lab and field tests showed that the maintenance works done over the last few years have played a key role in conserving the tunnel and keeping it highly operational in a way that increases its prescribed lifetime. Hence, by continuing to implement our strict maintenance policy, the structure is expected to remain in service for a long time to come,” added Maitha.

She also pointed out that the agency had hired specialised companies in the field and had chalked out detailed annual inspection plans to assess the tunnel’s condition periodically.

When asked whether the RTA had any plans of replacing the old structure with a new one any time soon, Maitha chose to be diplomatic in reply. “The need to replace the structure would depend on a number of factors like increase in traffic volumes using the facility, increase in vehicle loads resulting in commercial demands, and normal deterioration of the material. So far we haven’t experienced any of these.”

shafaat@khaleejtimes.com