Dubai TV R/A tunnels 80% done; Deira gridlock to ease

Motorists in Dubai can heave a sigh of relief as the Rashid Hospital tunnels are almost complete.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that the tunnel project, which includes construction of roads and two 2-lane tunnels serving inbound traffic from Tariq bin Ziyad and Umm Harir Streets and heading towards the intersection of Al Al Riyadh Street with the extension of the Floating Bridge are 82 per cent complete.

The project works are scheduled for completion by next year and the raods fully opened for traffic by mid-2013.

The first tunnel passes from Tariq bin Ziyad Street underneath Al Maktoum Bridge, and the other one comes from Umm Harir Street and 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 RTA is seeking to open the surface roads linking Riyadh Street and Oud Metha Street by the end of this year, said Maitha bin Udai, CEO of RTA Traffic and Roads Agency.

“The Project is an integral part of a comprehensive project through which the RTA is seeking to ease traffic congestion in the vicinity of Rashid Hospital and Dubai Media Inc in a bid to raise the capacity of streets in the area to handle as much as 6,000 vehicles per hour,” she added.

“RTA has completed the infrastructure works for utility lines; namely Dewa, sewage and etisalat, whereas completion rate of storm-water drainage system is about 80 per cent. Works have been completed in the construction works of vehicular and pedestrian tunnels and completion rate has reached 25 per cent in electro-mechanical works in the two tunnels, and 60 per cent in roads, signalling and street-lighting
works.

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