Completion rate in Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project hits 80%: RTA

Completion rate in Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project hits 80%: RTA

The project is set for opening next June

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji:
The Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) announced that 80% of construction works have been completed in Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project and the project, which costs about 722 million dirham, is expected to be fully completed and opened for traffic by 30 June 2013.

Commenting on the project, H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, said: “The construction of Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project 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 6000 vehicles per hour.

“The project contractor has completed all infrastructure works related to DEWA, sewage services and Etisalat as well as the construction works in vehicular & pedestrian tunnels, and the electromechanical works in the tunnels,” added Al Tayer.
“The Project comprises the construction of roads and two tunnels, each comprising two lanes, serving the traffic inbound from Tariq bin Ziyad & Umm Harir Streets and heading towards the intersection of Al Al Riyadh Street with the extension of the Floating Bridge. The first tunnel passes from Tariq bin Ziyad Street underneath Al Maktoum Bridge, and the other one; inbound from Umm Harir Street, passes across Oud Metha Park, and the two tunnels merge to form a 4-lane street heading towards Al Riyadh Street via Rashid Hospital. The Project also encompasses converting the junction of Riyadh Street with the Floating Bridge Extension into a 4-lane passageway, widening Tariq bin Ziyad Street, improving Oud Metha & Umm Harir Streets, and constructing a road to handle the traffic inbound from the Floating Bridge and heading towards Tariq bin Ziyad Street," elaborated Al Tayer.

It is note-worthy that the RTA has undertaken several projects in Bur Dubai to eliminate tailbacks and enhance roads capacity to keep pace with the urbanization and traffic growth rates. In this regard the RTA constructed the Floating Bridge, just half a kilometer off Al Maktoum Bridge, which comprises six lanes stretching from the surface intersection near City Center and Dubai Golf Club in Deira and terminates at the intersection to be constructed on Al Riyadh Street. The Project included modifications to improve the efficiency of junctions near Al Riyadh Street where the R/As in the direction of the Creek Park have been converted into signalized junctions. The project also provided an additional lane between Khalid bin Al Waleed Street and Oud Metha on the one hand, and Al Ittihad Street and Deira on the other.

The RTA has also widened Al Maktoum Bridge from 9 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 in bound from Sheikh Zayed Road in the direction of Deira. It also improved the capacity of Khalid bin Al Waleed Street and eased the pressure on this vital corridor and ensured seamless traffic flow 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.

Al Tayer stated that the RTA was following up improvement works in several main roads in Dubai city as part of a series of vital projects being constructed to improve roads and provide advanced services at residential districts to conform to RTA's strategy and the ongoing endeavours to keep pace with the urbanization drive and serve the requirements of growth as well as the demographic expansion in the Emirate.

Captions:

 Work in Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project is progressing according to the approved schedule