Umm Al Quwain entrance opens for traffic

Drivers to and from Umm Al Quwain may now breathe a sigh of relief as the much-awaited entrance of the emirate was partially opened for traffic on Monday.
The move will give a significant boost to traffic flow to and from the emirate and for those heading to the Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed road and the Falaj Al Mualla area, according to a senior official.
Read on: UAQ residents deal with dark roads, fear accidents
 Eng Hassan Al Mansouri, assistant undersecretary for works affairs with the ministry of infrastructure development, said the entire project, involving the construction of six bridges will be opened within weeks.
 "The mega intersection includes six bridges, including two main ones which each consists of four lanes - two in each direction, as well as two surface tunnels that link the entrance of the emirate with highways No (311) and (611)."
 Sliding and bypass bridges and roads are also included in the project to link the emirate with the Ittihad road and the Umm Al Quwain-Falaj Al Mualla road, he added.
 "The studies conducted show that the UAE entrance will be seeing a significant annual rise of 5.3 per cent in terms of the number of users until 2017, and up to seven per cent as of 2018 due to the ongoing and planned development projects."
 Indicating, Al Mansouri said that the project, worth Dh150 million, also involves the construction of separate roads for heavy trucks.
"The massive project, which started in the first quarter of 2015, is expected to enhance the performance of the federal roads network in terms of safety and security."
 The ministry, in a bid to ease traffic congestion due to the construction and development works, had built a 1km-long alternative road, along with a number of road diversions, he underlined.
 "Directions and speed limits sign boards have been fixed on both sides of the alternative road, in collaboration with the UAQ traffic police, to ensure road users' safety."
A pedestrian overcrossing has also been constructed to ease and secure their crossing from one side to another, and "boost traffic flow", Al Mansouri pointed out. "The project is part of the ministry strategy to develop the federal roads network."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com

• Umm Al Quwain