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Rashid road traffic woes to end in April with new bridge

Dubai - Wafi interchange 65 per cent complete, says RTA

The Dubai Wafi interchange is now 65 per cent complete and will open to traffic by April 2016.
The Dh88-million project comprises the construction of a three-lane bridge spanning 700 metres, said Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The contractor has completed 70 per cent of the construction works on the flyover along with lighting and utility works. "Road works completion rate has reached 35 per cent," said Al Tayer.
The project comprises the construction of a three-lane bridge branching from Oud Metha Road (near Latifa Hospital) in the direction of the Shaikh Rashid Road, and from there to the Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Saada Road (through the overpass leading to the Dubai World Trade Centre).
The new bridge has a capacity to handle 3,300 vehicles per hour. Project works also include lighting, signage, rainwater drainage, and utility lines.

"The Wafi interchange is very important as it links with main roads, and intersects with the Shaikh Rashid Road and the Oud Metha Road. The interchange is also characterized by its high vehicles density, with traffic lanes overlapping with the curves of the interchange," added Al Tayer.
"When completed, the project will eliminate the overlapping traffic at the interchange, and ensure a smooth vehicular movement in various directions. The traffic will run smooth from Oud Metha Road in the direction of Al Ain to the East and from Shaikh Rashid Road in the direction of Oud Metha to the west (Umm Hreir, Oud Metha).
"These solutions are part of the overall solutions developed by the RTA for coping with snarls experienced in the emirate," said Al Tayer.
In accordance with the master plan of traffic diversions charted by the RTA to ensure smooth traffic flow, traffic has been temporarily diverted on Shaikh Rashid Road. The diversion also maintains the same number of lanes of the diverted road.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com