New interchange to ease Sharjah traffic woes

The expansion works on the congested highway, which links Dubai with Sharjah and other Northern Emirates, began a couple of years ago and the continuous diversion works had affected traffic flow badly.

“We are expecting a 100 per cent improvement in traffic movement once the expansion work [is completed]. The National Paints intersection had been the main reason [behind the] slowing down [of] traffic, but with the new bridges built we have added two lanes on each direction [and] this will definitely ease traffic movement,” Dr Abdullah Bel Haif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works and Chairman of National Transport Authority, said earlier.

He added that the capacity on the highway has been doubled and all the bottlenecks have been removed.

Work on the Dh350 million third phase of the expansion project is expected to complete by the end of March, with the ramps and exits on the National Paints interchange getting finishing touches.

Apart from building new bridges, the project also includes the widening of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road from the existing three lanes to five lanes in each direction and the construction of a new drainage network to effectively dispose of rainwater, as well as the installation of street lights. The first phase, built a cost of Dh64 million, was completed in January 2012, while the Dh468 million second phase was completed last year. Work on second phase included building airport and Khalifa Bin Zayed road intersections.   Gulf News