Shaikh Zayed Road traffic diversion opens

Staff reporter / 25 October 2014

It will be in place till completion of water canal work 

Dubai: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened the main traffic diversion on Shaikh Zayed Road following the completion of the required works near Al Safa Park.

A section of the road diversion along Shaikh Zayed Road as on Friday. — KT photo by Leslie Pableo

The traffic on Shaikh Zayed Road (in the direction of Dubai) is being diverted while maintaining the same number of lanes in order to ensure a smooth traffic flow.
A permanent traffic diversion will be in place throughout the construction period to give way for completing phases of work of the Dubai Water Canal project, the initial phase of which has already started.
Engineer Maitha bin Udai, CEO of the RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency, said work has started on the northern bridge in the direction of Dubai on Shaikh Zayed Road near the metro line to divert the traffic from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. Works have been divided into three contracts.
The first is for constructing bridges across the water canal on SZR comprising eight lanes in each direction, rising eight metres above the water level to ensure free navigation in the canal round the clock.
The second contract includes construction of bridges across the canal on Jumeirah Street comprising three lanes in each direction and on Al Wasl Street comprising two lanes in each direction in addition to a ramp linking Al Wasl Street with Al Hadiqa Street in the direction of SZR.
The third contract covers canal course digging works stretching more than three kilometres in parallel with refilling of an island in the sea and construction of a marine wall around the canal to prepare the sand beach, besides constructing marinas for yachts and the Water Bus.

The RTA also plans to construct three pedestrian bridges in prominent locations with an eye-catching engineering design to ease the public movement and at the same time encourage mass and tourist transport.