Dubai’s RTA reveals traffic diversions in areas around Ibn Battuta Mall

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is carrying out traffic diversions in areas surrounding Ibn Battuta Mall in connection with the Route 2020 project, it announced on Thursday.

The Route 2020 project involves extending the Dubai Metro Red Line for 15km from Nakheel Harbour and Tower station to the site of Expo 2020. Work on the project is currently ongoing, with the RTA confirming that the completion rate reached 7 per cent in April.

As part of the project, traffic diversions are being undertaken in several roads and streets of the emirate passing through residential and commercial complexes, the RTA said.

Also read: Dubai’s RTA reveals new diversions on Jebel Ali-Lehbab road

Traffic diversions in the latest phase cover areas surrounding Ibn Battuta Street namely: Discovery Gardens, The Gardens, Al Furjan and other districts developed by Nakheel Properties.

The diversions have resulted in reducing the number of lanes from three to two in each direction along Ibn Battuta Street between Street 2 and Street 6.

Work has started in May 2017 and will continue until the project’s completion, the statement said.

Changes also include widening Street 1A (parallel to Ibn Battuta Street) to make it a dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction instead of a single-lane in each direction. Work on this will start in August this year and continue until the project is completed.

The RTA has also closed the entrance in the direction of Street 1A from Streets 2, 2A and 4, where water and electricity line extensions are protected.

Ibn Battuta had previously been closed from Street 11 to Street 13, and a temporary U-Turn had been made at Street 11. Construction works started last March and will continue until the end of the project, the RTA added.

The RTA said it is “keen on ensuring the smooth flow of traffic on all streets and roads” and called on motorists in the affected areas to abide by the new traffic and directional signs.

Route 2020 comprises 11.8km as an elevated track and 3.2km as an underground track. It has seven stations, including an interchange station, one station at Expo site – featuring aeroplane wing shaped structures, three elevated stations and two underground stations.

A Dhs10.6bn contract for the Route 2020 metro expansion was awarded to a consortium led by France’s Alstom, the RTA announced in June last year.

Trials are expected to begin by the end of 2019 with the route to become operational five months before the start of Expo 2020 in October.

The capacity of Route 2020 is 46,000 users per hour in both directions – equalling 23,000 users per hour per direction.

The ridership of the route is expected to hit 125,000 users per day by 2020, and rise to 275,000 users per day by 2030, according to the RTA.