Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said 30 per cent of the work had been completed on the Parallel Roads project at the Godolphin District and it was set for completion in the last quarter of 2017.

The construction work on the two bridges crossing the Dubai Water Canal is scheduled to be completed this August, and all other project works in the final quarter of 2017, revealed Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the RTA board of executive directors.

Al Tayer was speaking after an inspection tour to the project site, accompanied by Maitha bin Adai, the chief executive of Traffic & Roads Agency along with other officials of the contracting company.

"The Parallel Roads project, which costs about Dh578 million ($157.3 million), encompasses the construction of a 3.5-km-long flyover comprising three lanes in each direction crossing over the Dubai Water Canal. The number of lanes will increase to five in each direction above Godolphin Stables and Al Meydan Street up to Al Quoz Industrial Area," said Al Tayer.

The project also includes upgrading the existing junction of Al Meydan Street and Al Khail Street where flyovers would be constructed to provide left turns and ease the snarl in the junction during peak hours, he noted.

Al Tayer said it is one of the vital projects currently being undertaken by the RTA to ease the traffic snarl on Sheikh Zayed Road. This traffic corridor, which comprises three lanes in each direction, starts from the Sheikh Rashid Road in the north and extends 108 km terminating at the entrance of Abu Dhabi.

The project covers the construction of bridges and surface junctions at the intersection of the Parallel Roads with the crossing roads extending 42 km. It constitutes a traffic hub supporting the Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road and, upon completion, it will ease the traffic movement in the area parallel to the Sheikh Zayed Road to the East.

According to Al Tayer, the project involves the construction of a two-lane ramp serving the traffic inbound from Al Khail Road heading towards Sharjah, and up to the junction of Al Asayel Road and Oud Metha Road.

"It also includes providing entry and exit points for the Meydan Development Project, upgrading and shifting utility lines in the area, in addition to undertaking lighting and signage works," he added.-TradeArabia News Service