DUBAI 22 December 2019: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opens today (Sunday 22nd December), Phase 6 of roads leading to expo 2020 site including an improved intersection of Emirates and Expo Roads.
Mattar Al Tayer, RTA Director-General and Chairman, described the project as one of the biggest road projects currently undertaken by RTA to meet the needs of hosting Expo 2020 in Dubai. He noted that due to the massive scope of the project, it had been divided into six phases, costing about Dh3 billion in total.
“This phase of the project includes the construction of a bridge extending 1.4km and roads stretching about 8 km. Accordingly, the number of lanes of Expo Road have been increased from four to six lanes in each direction over a sector of three kilometres, besides upgrading a five-kilometres sector of Emirates Road. Works included transforming the existing R/A at the intersection of Emirates Road and Expo Road into a flyover enabling free movement in all directions. Expo Road has been elevated to make a bridge of four lanes in each direction. Service roads, each of two lanes, have been constructed on both sides of the main road. Turns have been provided to ensure smooth flow of traffic from Emirates Road in the direction of Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and from Expo Road in the direction of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road. The project wil ease the traffic movement from Expo Road northwards to the Dubai-bound Emirates Road, and from Expo Road Southwards to the Abu Dhabi-bound Emirates Road,” explained Al Tayer.
Works also included transforming the previous R/A at the intersection of Emirates Road and Expo Road into a flyover ensuring free traffic in all directions. Accordingly, the road capacity increased from 10,000 to 23,700 vehicles per hour. It will also improve the traffic flow to Expo, Dubai South and Al Maktoum International Airport, besides slashing the transit time as a result of removing the roundabout, and the traffic signal. It will also triple the vehicular capacity of the road and ensure smooth traffic flow on main roads.
Completed Stages
In August 2019, RTA opened Phases 3 and 4 of roads leading to the Expo site. It included constructing two intersections at Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road with each of Expo Road and Al Yalayes Street. Two flyovers on Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street at the Dubai Investment Park have been upgraded. Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street has been widened from two to five lanes in each direction, and bridges constructed under both phases covered 17 km.
Besides Phase 6, which will be opened tomorrow (Sunday), and Phases 3 and 4, which had been opened earlier this year, work is currently underway in Phases 1, 2 and 5. Phases 1 and 2 cover transforming the existing roundabout at the intersection of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Expo Road into a flyover; ensuring free traffic movement in all directions. Works underway include constructing direct entry/exit points to Expo 2020 from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to ensure smooth traffic flow to and from the site of Expo. The total length of roads being constructed under both phases is about 43 km.
Phase 5
Phase 5 includes constructing bridges extending 2.6 km and roads spanning about 3 km. The number of lanes of Expo Road increased from three to six in each direction over a sector of three km together with service roads to improve the current traffic condition. Expo Road has been elevated at the intersection of Al Asayel Road over an 800-metre stretch, forming a bridge of six lanes in each direction. Two other bridges extending one kilometer have been built to link Expo Road with the service road to ensure smooth traffic flow from and to the site of Expo.
RTA has developed a plan addressing the needs of hosting Expo 2020 with the aim of ensuring smooth mobility for visitors of Expo. Works undertaken included upgrading roads and intersections, Route 2020 for extending Dubai Metro Red Line, and improving public transit networks, including buses and taxis.
