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New tunnels to open by June

At a cost of around Dh722 million, the Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project is nearing completion and is expected to see its first influx of traffic on June 30.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that 80 per cent of construction works on the tunnels have been completed, with the additional roads expected to improve traffic flow in the emirate.

Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the RTA, said: “The construction of Rashid Hospital Tunnels is part of a master plan aimed to ease the traffic congestion in the vicinity of Rashid Hospital and step up the traffic flow in the area. Upon the project completion, the capacity of roads within the scope of the project is set to rise to as much as 6,000 vehicles per hour.”

He added: “The project comprises the construction of roads and two tunnels, each comprising two lanes, serving the traffic inbound from Tariq bin Ziyad and Umm Harir Streets and heading towards the intersection of Al Riyadh Street with the extension of the Floating Bridge.”

The RTA has undertaken several projects in Bur Dubai to eliminate tailbacks and enhance roads capacity to keep pace with the urbanisation and traffic growth rates.

One of the projects included the widening of Al Maktoum Bridge from nine to 11 lanes, and the streets in the approaches of the bridge from two to three lanes to handle the traffic inbound from Umm Harir Street; a step which has increased the vehicular capacity and eased the traffic congestion in the traffic inbound from Shaikh Zayed Road in the direction of Deira. Improvements and widening of the bridge works also included increasing the number of lanes in the direction from Deira to Bur Dubai from four to six lanes along the Bridge.

Tunnel specifications

• First tunnel passes from Tariq bin Ziyad Street underneath Al Maktoum Bridge
• Second tunnel (inbound from Umm Harir Street) passes across Oud Metha Park
• Both tunnels merge to form a four-lane street heading towards Al Riyadh Street via Rashid Hospital.

Additional project specifications:

• Converting junction of Riyadh Street with the Floating Bridge Extension into a four-lane 
passageway
• Widening of Tariq bin Ziyad Street
• Improving Oud Metha and Umm Harir Streets
• Constructing a road for traffic inbound from the Floating Bridge, heading towards Tariq bin Ziyad Street