New Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway set to open by year-end

Construction work on a new highway connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi is over 83 per cent complete and it is scheduled to open by the end of the year, the Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) has said.

The Dhs 2.1bn project is spread across 62 kilometres and includes four lanes in both directions. It will have the capacity to hold 8,000 vehicles per hour and 2,000 vehicles per each lane.

“This road project will provide a new link to Abu Dhabi city, toward its international airport and with Yas and Saadiyat islands,” said Musanada’s acting director of Roads Hamdan Al Mazrouei.

“It will help improve traffic flow between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, easing traffic congestion and reducing the accident rates.”

An extension of the Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road, the highway begins from Seih Shuaib at the Abu-Dubai border.

It will pass through the Forest Belt, Al Maha Forest, Kizad, Khalifa City, cross Al Ajban Road and then pass by Abu Mureikha, Zayed Military City and Al Falah area. It will then connect to the Sweihan Interchange on the Abu Dhabi-Sweihan Road.

In total, the new highway includes six interchanges and six underground passes.

The project’s execution follows a detailed study of the volume of daily traffic between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The highway is expected to serve as an alternative route to the existing E11 Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.

It will also provide additional capacity – particularly during peak hours and weekends.