Dubai: New bridges, intersections towards Oud Metha to cut travel time by 15 mins

A new project in Dubai will slash travel time from 20 minutes to just 5 minutes on routes connected to Oud Metha Street, the Roads and Transport Authority announced.

The RTA awarded a Dh600-million worth contract for a project that connects Al Asayel Street to Al Khail Road via Al Nawras Street and provides an exit to Oud Metha and Al Nawras Streets.

The project will oversee the construction of four major intersections, 4,300 metres of bridges, and 14km of roads. This development will cater to areas like Zabeel, Al Jaddaf, Oud Metha, Umm Hurair, Latifa Hospital, and Al Wasl Club.

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The project is expected to serve an estimated population of over 420,000 by 2030. The final results are expected to enhance the capacity of Oud Metha Street from 10,400 vehicles per hour to 15,600 vehicles per hour, marking a 50 per cent increase. It will also reduce travel time from 20 minutes to just 5 minutes, leading to an improvement of 75 per cent.

A part of the Sheikh Rashid Corridor Development Project, here is how the four new intersections will come up in the respective areas.

First intersection

The first intersection will be located at the intersection of Oud Metha Street and Sheikh Rashid Street, with a new left-turn lane for traffic from both the locations. This will boost capacity to 1,800 vehicles per hour.

Additionally, improvements will be made to the service road on Sheikh Rashid Street between the existing bridge and the exit at Al Zahrawi Street to alleviate current traffic congestion and enhance road safety.

Furthermore, the number of right-turn lanes for traffic coming from Sheikh Rashid Street towards Dubai-Al Ain Road will be increased from two to three, raising capacity to 4,000 vehicles per hour.

Second intersection

The second intersection will be located at the intersection of Oud Metha Street with Al Asayel and Al Nawras Streets. The development in this area will also involve the construction of two bridges connecting Al Asayel Street to Al Khail Road via Al Nawras Street.

The first bridge, with two lanes, will accommodate 2,400 vehicles per hour and serve traffic from Al Asayel towards Al Nawras. The second bridge, featuring three lanes and accommodating 3,600 vehicles per hour, will handle traffic from Al Khail Road towards Al Asayel.

A separate two-lane bridge will be constructed to facilitate left-turn traffic from Al Asayel to Oud Metha Street, with a capacity of 2,400 vehicles per hour. Additional improvements will be made to the road leading to Al Wasl Club’s entrance, as well as the entrances and exits of Al Nawras Street, to resolve the current traffic overlap.

Third intersection

The third intersection will be located at the intersection of Al Nawras Street and Al Khail Road, and will see the construction of a two-lane bridge to accommodate traffic from the two roads, continuing towards Business Bay Crossing. This bridge will have a capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour.

Additionally, Al Nawras Street will be upgraded by increasing the exit capacity towards Al Khail Road to two lanes. A service road will be constructed on both sides of Al Nawras Street, with parking spaces provided as part of the upgrades.

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