Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, approved implementation of the project under directives from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to increase infrastructure investment.
The corridor will run from Al Faya Road in Abu Dhabi to Al Shanouf Road in Sharjah and will be delivered in two phases. The first phase, extending about 30 kilometres from Al Shanouf Road to Dubai-Al Ain Road, is estimated to cost AED3.5 billion.
The route will comprise 12 lanes across both directions, 72 bridges, 17 tunnels and 45 stormwater drainage culverts. It will have capacity for as many as 24,000 vehicles an hour in both directions and is designed to connect with Al Maktoum International Airport and the Etihad Rail network.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority said the first phase would cut journey time on the section by about 60 per cent, from 35 minutes to 14 minutes, and serve around 600,000 people. It will also include roughly 55 lane-kilometres of surface roads, 2.5 kilometres of tunnels and 21 kilometres of bridges and ramps.
Work under the first phase will include widening Dubai-Al Ain Road from three to four lanes in each direction between Emirates Road and Lehbab Road, as well as upgrading four major intersections.
The second phase will extend about 50 kilometres from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al Faya Road in Abu Dhabi. RTA Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors Mattar Al Tayer said that section would also provide 12 lanes across both directions and capacity for 24,000 vehicles an hour.
The authority expects the second phase to reduce journey time by 52 per cent, from 50 minutes to 24 minutes, while serving about 3.1 million people. It is planned to include about 190 lane-kilometres of surface roads, 3.5 kilometres of tunnels and 157 kilometres of bridges and ramps.
Sheikh Hamdan described the corridor as a strategic addition to Dubai’s road network, saying it would strengthen links with the federal road system, support future urban and economic growth and contribute to the Dubai Social Agenda 33 and Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
The project will become the fourth strategic road corridor connecting the emirates after Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Ittihad Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road. Authorities expect it to divert through traffic, particularly trucks, away from built-up areas and reduce pressure on existing arterial routes.
The planned alignment passes Al Maktoum International Airport, Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Al Wohoosh Desert Conservation Reserve and the Etihad Rail route, while serving residential and development areas along the corridor.
Transport specialists said the extra capacity could help redistribute traffic across Dubai’s road system, while cautioning that additional road space can generate more journeys over time. Lijo John, assistant professor in logistics and supply chain management at Heriot-Watt University Dubai, said lasting benefits would depend partly on measures such as off-peak freight scheduling and closer integration with rail transport.
Joseph Salem, a partner and head of travel, transportation and hospitality at consultancy Arthur D Little Middle East, said the corridor would give the inter-emirate network a fourth major spine rather than requiring three existing routes to absorb continuing growth.
Al Tayer said the project would support logistics and commercial transport while improving connectivity between the road system and major transport infrastructure. He also said its scale, including extensive bridge and tunnel construction, was the reason implementation had been divided into two principal phases.
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