The RTA has awarded a contract worth AED4040 million for upgrading the Airport Road in line with directives from Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The project will contribute to increasing the handling capacity of the Airport Road by an extra 5,000 vehicles per hour.
Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, Mattar Al Tayer, said, the upgrading of the Airport Road is part of a plan developed by the RTA to cater to the projected growth in the number of travellers to the Dubai International Airport; which is expected to serve about 92 million travellers by 2020.
“The improvement of Rashidiya Interchange comprises the construction of a bridge on the Airport Road of 3 lanes in each direction; which is expected to slash the waiting time at the interchange from 13 minutes to less than one minute,” Al Tayer explained.
The traffic study emphasised the importance of accomplishing the Airport Upgrading project by 2017, he said.
The project comprises the construction of bridges, tunnels at Rashidiya and Airport Road interchange with each of Casablanca Street, Marrakech Street. and Nad Al Hamar Street.
It also includes improving at-grade intersections, and constructing a service road of 3 lanes in each direction to separate the traffic movement from and to Nad Al Hamar from the vehicular flow on the Airport Street starting from Rashidiya Interchange up to Marrakech Interchange.
The upgrade will also enhance the traffic safety level, and reduce the journey time on the Airport Road from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Casablanca Street from 30 minutes to 5 minutes.
Source: Emirates news agency
