23 July 2006
Dubai: Motorists using Airport Tunnel on Dubai's Beirut Road are likely to face delays because of an ongoing clean-up drive.
At least two lanes of the tunnel will remain closed from midnight to 6 am, as the cleaning of tunnel walls continues till the end of this month.
Abdullah Al Ali, Director of Maintenance Department at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said: "This project is in line with the authority's commitment to carrying out regular maintenance work on all bridges, tunnels and roads in the emirate."
Two lanes of the carriageway taking off from Nadd Al Hammar Road till Al Twar were closed as the project began.
The drive will include clearing all traces of carbon on the walls as well as sand and other rubble along the carriageway and footpath, and repainting of the lanes.
The tunnel, which is one the biggest in the region, accommodates around 16,000 vehicles an hour in both directions.
The Airport Tunnel also includes an Intelligent Transportation System comprising 12 electronic traffic signboards installed at intersections, 13 traffic signboards and 115 cameras for the authorities to keep a check on the traffic situation.
It also has a special communication equipment for GSM to allow motorists to stay connected through their mobile phones.
There are 32 electronic units for detecting carbon monoxide levels. Besides, there are 75 emergency telephones on the walls along the tunnel.
The construction project of the tunnel involved excavation and removal of two million cubic metres of soil, while the body of the structure required 550,000 cubic metres of concrete and 1,890 ramps each 22 metres long and weighing 66 tonnes.
The inside walls are covered with 80 collages made from 75,000 cubic metres of marble.
By Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
