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*DM Plans Interchange On Sheikh Zayed Road

Sami Al Hashmi (Farayand's sponsor)

Facility to ensure free flow of traffic to Palm Island in Jumeirah

Facility to ensure free flow of traffic to Palm Island in Jumeirah. Dubai Municipality will start construction works of a new interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road this month in order to ensure free flow of traffic to the Palm Island in Jumeirah.

Interchange 4.5, to be built between Interchange 4 in Al Barsha and Interchange 5 in Al Safouh, will also provide better access to the existing as well as upcoming commercial and residential projects in the area, Sami Al Hashemi, acting director of the Roads Department at Dubai Municipality, told The Gulf Today.

The new interchange is part of the Palm Island Road Corridor & Access Scheme, which also includes another interchange 4 ae, providing direct access to Palm Island Jumeirah from Sheikh Zayed Road without disrupting traffic along Al Safouh Road, which is the main artery serving the Tecom (Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Knowledge Village) area.

Interchange 4.5 would be built at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Road freeway with the existing Road 331 (the road serving the Chouifat School and the Dubai College) on the west side of Sheikh Zayed Road and Road D611 currently connected to the Emirates Road on the east side of Sheikh Zayed Road.

The Dhs242 million project also includes constructing of a tunnel serving the traffic coming from Dubai along Sheikh Zayed Road going eastbound towards the recently opened Al Khail Road (Back Road) and the Emirates Road.

Bridges

The interchange will also consist of a bridge connecting Zayed Road (towards Dubai) and another bridge connecting Road D611 to southbound Sheikh Zayed Road (towards Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi.

A third bridge will also be built as part of the interchange over Sheikh Zayed Road to connect the two existing roads on the east and west sides of Sheikh Zayed Road which will also serve the traffic travelling northbound on Sheikh Zayed Road (from Jebel Ali and Abu Dhabi) wanting to go westbound to Al Safouh Area.

Interchange 4 ae consists of a tunnel from Road 311 to Al Safouh Road. Remaining movements will be served through a signalised intersection.

Palm is neighbour to one of the highest growth areas in Dubai, containing several high-profile developments including Tecom, Emirates Hills, The Lakes, Planning Area 10, The Gardens, and The Maze (a recreational amusement park and garden development located between the Gardens and Sheikh Zayed Road).

It is estimated that the traffic generated from the Palm Island alone will be around 8,000 vehicles per hour during the peak evening hours.

“The construction of Interchange 4.5 will start during the first half of this month. Interchange 4.5 is expected to be complete in 600 days while Interchange 4 ae would take only 19 months,” Hashemi said.

Associated works

The project also includes associated works like roadway signage, pavement marking, landscaping and street lighting.
Hashemi said the modification and expansion works being carried out on Interchange 3 in Al Manara would be complete by January next year. The improvement works began in October last year, following similar projects carried out at Interchange Two, and Interchange Four on Sheikh Zayed Road.

The improvement projects are the result of a comprehensive survey carried out by the municipality earlier to look for solutions for tackling the problem of increasing traffic on the road, and are considered essential to cope with the projected growth of the area, he added.

The Roads department at the Municipality plans to replace all the interchanges on Sheikh Zayed Road with multi-connectivity interchanges over the next few years.

“Along with the improvement works on the Interchange the municipality is also working on ensuring smooth flow of traffic along the service road to the east of Sheikh Zayed Road, between Interchange 2 and 3. The work is expected to be complete by mid 2005,” Hashemi stated.

The service road improvement includes converting it into a dual carriage way, providing designated areas for parking and pedestrians as well as landscaping. “Since there are a large number of car showrooms and retail outlets including the Oasis Centre in this area a large number of people are using this road and hence we decided to provide better facilities along this road,” Hashemi said.