Work underway on new road connection to Dubai Expo 2020 site

Work on Yalayes Road – a new connection between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road – will commence this month and is expected to be completed within 18 months.

Construction of this road is dubbed the New Lihbab Road project, which was launched with the announcement of the Board of Directors of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), chaired by Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA.

Adding a welcome addition to the road infrastructure, Al Yalayes Road will form the extension of the road currently originating from Al Houdh Roundabout, serving Green Community and Dubai Investment Park, to provide a direct link to Emirates Road.

Once completed, the road will form a 9km direct link including a dual carriage way of 4 lanes in each direction, in addition to one direct directional bridge to provide free traffic flow allowing left turns for vehicles inbound from Jebel Ali Port heading towards Emirates Road in the direction of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and other Emirates.

“The new road will link the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (at Al Houdh R/A) with the Emirates Road and as such will provide a vital road linking the traffic movement from Jebel Ali Port towards the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Emirates Roads,” said al Tayer.

“Al Yalayes Road is considered one of the key corridors of roads network in the Dubai Emirate. Classified as a highway linking three key traffic corridors (Sheikh Zayed Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and Emirates Road), the project provides an auxiliary traffic corridor to support the movement of goods within the Emirate of Dubai, and ease the movement of trucks on the Sheikh Zayed Road and the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.

Road to Expo 2020 site

In an earlier statement, Al Tayer had elaborated on the importance of developing the area around Al Yalayes to improve access to the exhibition site of Expo 2020.

Several areas and intersections will be improved, such as Al Yalays area and the intersections linked with it. The latter part of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road will be extended, the area of Academic City will be developed, and some of the intersections on the roads surrounding the location of the exhibition will see improvements, Al Tayar had said after Dubai won the bid for hosting Expo 2020.

Further, Al Tayar pointed out that internal roads and parking at the Expo site would be provided, and that the needed control systems and traffic management system relating to the exhibition site would be operated in the form of a unified control operation centre.

Welcome alternative for residents

The new road is a welcome addition to residents in surrounding communities, who have been pushing for alternative access and exit roads to alleviate traffic congestion.

“The construction of this project will have a key role in alleviating traffic congestions and shortening the transit time from and to several property development projects such as the Dubai Investment Park, Golf Estates and Emaar’s Al-Lisaili project,” said Al Tayer.

In addition, the communities that lie west from Al Houdh Roundabout, such as Discovery Gardens, The Gardens and Furjan, will benefit from the alternative corridor, as traffic congestion has long been plaguing residents of these communities.

The New Lihbab Project, which is estimated at a cost of Dh164 million, includes the construction of two new roundabouts which have been designed in such a way to allow for the construction of flyovers without having to make traffic diversions in future, explained Al Tayer.

“The engineering design of the project addressed the provision of entry and exit points that provide utmost safety for road users in general and visitors of these districts in particular as the U-turns and disorderly turns will be eliminated in the entire neighbourhood.”

The RTA had earlier this year opened a flyover on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road passing above Al Houdh R/A comprising 5 lanes; 3 linking Al Yalayes Road (inbound from Jebel Ali to the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road in the direction of Dubai), and a two-lane ramp extending around 2.5 km serving Abu Dhabi-outbound traffic in the direction of the Emirates Road.

It also opened the widening of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road from three to six lanes in a 10 km-long sector stretching from Al Houdh R/A up to the Arabian Ranches Interchange.

 

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