Dubai’s RTA opens two bridges, one tunnel under $1.4bn traffic plan

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened two major bridges and a tunnel with a combined capacity of 27,200 vehicles per hour, as part of its $1.4bn (Dhs5.3bn) traffic improvement scheme.

RTA’s Falcon Interchange Improvement Project aims to ease traffic flow between Al Khaleej Street, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road and Al Ghubaiba Road.

The two bridges are connected by the Infinity Bridge and Al Shindagha Tunnel from the Northern side and will link up with the bridges that the authority is currently constructing at the junction of Sheikh Rashid Road and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed.

The Falcon project is a segment of the 13km Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, spanning Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street.

“The improvement of the Falcon Interchange enables a smooth traffic flow along the Al Shindagha corridor (Al Khaleej and Al Mina Street), besides increasing the capacity, efficiency, and traffic safety of these two roads,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of  RTA.

Last month, RTA awarded the first contract under Phase 4 of the Al Shindagha project.

The scope of work under this contract includes the construction of three bridges with a total length of 3.1 km and a capacity of 19,400 vehicles per hour for all lanes.

#RTA opens two major bridges and a tunnel spanning a total of 2,325 metres, with a capacity of 27,200 vehicles per hour, as part of the Falcon Interchange Improvement Project located between Al Khaleej Street, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road, and Al Ghubaiba Road. pic.twitter.com/UrspSCpJvU

— RTA (@rta_dubai) April 2, 2023

The wider Al Shindagha initiative encompasses the construction of 15 junctions spanning 13 km in total and the project was split into five phases due to its massive scope. The corridor serves Deira and Bur Dubai in addition to several development projects such as Deira Islands, Dubai Seafront, Dubai Maritime City and Mina Rashid.

Read: Dubai’s RTA to build bus and taxi lanes stretching 37 km over five years

It is expected to reduce travel time from 104 minutes to just 16 minutes by 2030 and the time saved over 20 years will be worth about Dhs45bn.
Last month, the RTA announced construction had been completed on three roads in Al Quoz 2, Nad Al Sheba 2 and Al Barsha South 3k—together, they cover 37 km.

RTA’s traffic improvement

Meanwhile, RTA endorsed a plan to construct dedicated bus and taxi lanes extending 37 km during the period 2023-2027.

These lanes cover eight main streets mainly Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Street, 2nd December Street, Amman Street, Al Satwa Road, Al Nahda Street, Omar bin Al-Khattab Street and Naif Street, bringing the total length of dedicated bus and taxi lanes to 48.6 km.

In other news, the authority introduced the Comprehensive Digital Experience Lab, a pioneering initiative among Dubai Government organisations, to enhance customer service provided through its digital channels.

The lab will not only improve both the quality and design of services from a customer’s perspective, but it will also simultaneously improve and standardise their experiences across various digital channels.

The initiative is also aimed to enhance employees’ experience with digital systems by engaging them in the ‘digital service’ design stages. It will endeavour to increase the customer happiness index as well as the adoption of digital services while supplying the necessary technologies and skilled staff to operate the lab.

The laboratory has an observation room, which will be used for monitoring the testing process or engaging in focus groups on service delivery. The room is also fitted with screens that detect the customer’s behaviour and interaction with the service on digital platforms.

Read: Dubai’s RTA introduces Comprehensive Digital Experience Lab