New phase of construction to start as project is finished early
One of the first tunnels near Khalifa park along Salam Street opens today for traffic. Image Credit: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: Motorists can use the first tunnel on Salam Street from midnight tonight, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City announced during a media tour to the tunnel yesterday.
The 850 metre long tunnel near Khalifa Park is being opened for traffic six months ahead of the scheduled time, Khalifa Mohammad Al Mazroui, General Manager of the municipality said in a statement.
"It will initiate a new phase of construction on the surface and bypass roads in the area and I thank our partners in the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police for their efforts in facilitating the success of the project," he said.
The dual four-lane tunnel, which is linked to the existing detour, will smoothen the traffic on the detour, Abdullah Saeed Al Shamsi, Acting CEO of Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Division at the municipality told reporters.
"The tunnel will remove the possible bottleneck in a stretch from the Maqta Bridge to the existing first signal on the street," he said.
Only three lanes (in both directions) will be opened for traffic until the completion of the entire project worth Dh5 billion in third quarter of this year, the officials said.
The speed limit in the beginning will be 80 kilometres per hour which will be increased to 100 kilometres per hour with an allowance of 20 kilometres per hour, according to officials.
The five tunnels in the project will facilitate the free flow of 6,000 cars per hour upon completion. Two more tunnels will be opened for traffic in the near future.
GULFNEWS
One of the first tunnels near Khalifa park along Salam Street opens today for traffic. Image Credit: Ahmed Kutty/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: Motorists can use the first tunnel on Salam Street from midnight tonight, the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City announced during a media tour to the tunnel yesterday.
The 850 metre long tunnel near Khalifa Park is being opened for traffic six months ahead of the scheduled time, Khalifa Mohammad Al Mazroui, General Manager of the municipality said in a statement.
"It will initiate a new phase of construction on the surface and bypass roads in the area and I thank our partners in the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police for their efforts in facilitating the success of the project," he said.
The dual four-lane tunnel, which is linked to the existing detour, will smoothen the traffic on the detour, Abdullah Saeed Al Shamsi, Acting CEO of Municipal Infrastructure and Assets Division at the municipality told reporters.
"The tunnel will remove the possible bottleneck in a stretch from the Maqta Bridge to the existing first signal on the street," he said.
Only three lanes (in both directions) will be opened for traffic until the completion of the entire project worth Dh5 billion in third quarter of this year, the officials said.
The speed limit in the beginning will be 80 kilometres per hour which will be increased to 100 kilometres per hour with an allowance of 20 kilometres per hour, according to officials.
The five tunnels in the project will facilitate the free flow of 6,000 cars per hour upon completion. Two more tunnels will be opened for traffic in the near future.
- Dh5b is the cost of the entire project
- 850m is the length of the tunnel
- 100km/h is the speed limit in tunnel after project's completion
- The open sections of the 850 metre long underpass at the approach to the junction have a clear width of 41.4 metres from the wall to wall and are provided with a three metre median dividing the opposite carriageways.
- The tunnel section of the underpass is 120 metres long.
- Minimum clearance below the soffit of the deck-slab is 6.3 metres.
- The maximum depth of excavation for the tunnel is 12 metres.
GULFNEWS
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