Motorists travelling between Infinity Bridge and Deira can now use a new 1.65km tunnel with three lanes in each direction, giving the route capacity to handle up to 12,000 vehicles an hour.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel on Sunday, providing a free-flowing route between the end of the Infinity Bridge ramp and the intersection of Al Khaleej Street and Al Wuheida Street.
The tunnel is expected to improve access to Deira, Al Mamzar and surrounding neighbourhoods, including Abu Hail and Al Wuheida, as well as developments such as Dubai Islands, Waterfront Market and Al Hamriya Port.
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The opening is part of the wider Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, which aims to reduce journey times along a 13km stretch of key roads. Once the full project is completed, travel time along the corridor is expected to fall from 1 hour 44 minutes to 16 minutes by 2030, according to the RTA.
Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said the tunnel would improve connectivity between residential areas, commercial centres and tourist destinations in Deira, which is seeing continued residential and commercial development.
The works also include replacing the roundabouts on Cairo Street and Al Wuheida Street with signal-controlled intersections, improving traffic along Cairo Street and connecting the bridge ramp from Dubai Islands to the new tunnel towards Al Mamzar.
The wider 13km corridor runs along Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street. It includes the development of 15 intersections and is expected to serve around one million people.
More work underway
The RTA is also building a 1,425-metre bridge across Dubai Creek, between Infinity Bridge and the Port Rashid redevelopment area, as part of the wider corridor improvements.
The bridge will have four lanes in each direction and a combined capacity of about 16,000 vehicles an hour. It will stand 18.5 metres above the creek, with a 75-metre-wide navigational channel beneath it to allow vessels to pass.
Plans also include a dedicated pedestrian and cycling track, with two lifts providing access to the route, as well as about 2km of connecting roads on the Dubai Islands and Bur Dubai sides.
Meanwhile, the newly opened tunnel will feature a large mosaic mural depicting Dubai’s skyline, including landmarks such as Infinity Bridge. Designed by Emirati artist Maryam Al Hathboor, the artwork uses 36 million mosaic pieces.
The RTA said around 77 per cent of the material excavated during construction, equivalent to approximately 522,000 cubic metres, was reused in projects by the authority and other entities.
Construction involved 2,200 engineers, technicians and workers, supported by 350 pieces of equipment and machinery. The project recorded nearly 11 million work hours without any reported injuries, the RTA said.
Source: Khaleej Times