Partial opening of Salam Street after Eid Al Fitr

Salam Street, one of the busiest streets in Abu Dhabi will partly open for traffic after Eid Al Fitr, 'Khaleej Times' reports.

The newly-developed Salam Street with additional link roads and new tunnels is a Dh5 billion project.
 
The road from Port Zayed to Eastern Ring Road covers over 15 kilometres and linking Abu Dhabi City with Umm Al Nar.
 
The project, which was launched in 2007, was scheduled to be completed this year. But the changes in plans after the launch of Abu Dhabi Plan 2030 has delayed the completion.
 
Salam Street is expected to ease the traffic flow on alternate routes and parts of the city. The project includes the Middle East’s longest tunnel extending to three kilometres with four lanes and an estimated capacity to accommodate 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction. Over 2,000 workers are involved in the construction of the tunnel.
 
The tunnel and its adjoining roads and causeways will become fully operational by the end of 2011. The tunnel had been due for completion at the end of 2010 but was delayed because of technical and topographical reasons.
 
Ahmed Al Houssani, a spokesman for the Abu Dhabi Municipality, said obstacles that delayed the project included the presence of a large network of power and water cables and pipes that had to be avoided during the construction process, mainly in the densely-populated Tourist Club area.
 
South Korea’s Samsung Construction is leading a consortium for carrying out the project, which links the Tourist Club and other parts of the city to Reem Island, where at least 100,000 inhabitants will live.
 
Contruction work has disrupted traffic and caused massive bottlenecks around the Salam Street and the Tourist Club area but such problems would be a matter of the past once the tunnel and accompanying fly-overs are completed.
 
The tunnel is part of a long-term blueprint by Abu Dhabi to expand its inhabited areas and road networks to cope with a sharp rise in the population.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.