Abu Dhabi, Sunday, February 24, 2013 - Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi announced today the partial closure of Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street (known as Airport Road) and the other major streets like Al Falah Street, Hamdan Street, Zayed First Street and Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street, during the opening ceremony of Qasr al Hosn Fort Festival on Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 2 pm to 6 pm, in support of the festival which will take place in part of Rashid Bin Saeed Maktoum Street.

During the first day of the festival, five major and internal streets will be closed:

  • Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street (known as Airport Road), will be closed from Hamdan Street intersection to Al Falah Street intersection.

  • Zayed First Street, will be closed from Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum intersection to Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street intersection.

  • Hamdan Street, will be closed from Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum intersection to Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street intersection.

  • Al Falah Street, will be closed from Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street to Al Karama Street intersection.

  • Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street, will be closed from Hamdan Street intersection to Zayed First Street intersection.

  • The internal street, is the Al Mashtal Street located in Al Khalidiya area between Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street and King Khalid Bin Abdul Aziz Street.  

As a result of the closure, the residents and visitors of Fotouh Al Khair Centre, Zayed City, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA) and Al Khalidiya will be affected. Therefore, DoT encourages the public to be aware of the traffic congestion during the festival.

In order to facilitate the flow of traffic, some bus routes will be detoured from 1 pm to 6 pm during the first day of the festival as follows:

Route 006, that operates Zayed First Street and Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, will be detoured to Fourth Street (known as Al Muroor Street) going through Hamdan Street and then follow the normal route.

Route 007, that operates Zayed First Street, will be detoured to Fourth Street (known as Al Muroor Street) going through Hamdan Street to Sixth Street, and then follow the normal route.

Route 008, that operates Fourth Street (known as Al Muroor Street) and Zayed First Street, will be detoured to Hamdan Street going through Sixth Street and then follow the normal route.

Route 009, that operates Al Falah Street, will be detoured to Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street, going through Hazza Bin Zayed Street then Al Karama Street, and then follow the normal route.

Route 032, that operates Zayed First Street, will be detoured to Fourth Street going through Hamdan Street and Sixth Street, and then follow the normal route.

Route 034, that operates Zayed First Street and Rashid Bin Saeed Street, will be detoured to Hazza Bin Zayed Street going through Al Karama Street, Al Falah Street, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street and then back to Zayed First Street going through Sixth Street and Hamdan Street, and then follow the normal route.

Route 044, that operates Al Karama Street to Al Falah Street, will be detoured from Al Karama Street going through Hazza Bin Zayed Street, Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street and Al Falah Street going through the Fourth Street to Zayed First Street, and then follow the normal route.

Route 054, going through the main bus station heading to Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum Street to Hamdan Street, will be detoured to Fourth Street to Hamdan Street, and then follow the normal route.

DoT will open all closed routes at 7:00 pm after the opening festival.

It is worth mentioning that Qasr Al Hosn festival will kick off its festivity on Thursday, February 28, till Saturday, March 9, 2013, celebrating over 250 years. Centered around the historic Qasr al Hosn Fort, the festival will bring to life the history of Abu Dhabi's oldest building and the emirate's culture through a host of events and a world-class live entertainment show for all family members. DoT is keen to be part of this historical event inline with its strategy that significantly contributes to reducing traffic congestion, road safety and plays an effective role in improving and upgrading the overall infrastructure to position Abu Dhabi as a global pioneer and tourist destination.  

In addition, DoT will provide "Park and Ride" free service to the public, located at Mashtal Al Manhal in Al Khalidiyah with more than 500 free parking facilities. The service will be available on Thursday, February 28 from 7:00 pm until 1:00 am and will continue from Friday, March 1 to Saturday, March 9 2013 from 2:00 pm to 1:00 am during the weekends and 2:00 pm to midnight on weekdays.

DoT will also launch public awareness campaigns, to provide information related to re-routing of bus services and all affected areas and partial closure streets as a result of the festival, through the distribution of leaflets on vehicles and public buses, in addition to broadcast and prints advertisement, SMS, posters inside the buses and signboards at the entrances of the partially closed streets.

In this regard, Mr. Saeed Mohammed Fadel Al Hameli, General Manager of the Bus Office and Chairman of Events Committee at the DoT in Abu Dhabi, said: "DoT is always eager to be proactive in providing support and endorse the cooperation between government entities and strategic partners. Moreover, the public support and understanding will contribute to the success of such local events". Mr. Al Hameli added: "Providing free public transport will contribute in reducing congestion and enhancing mobility to the event and applying best global practices and continuously strives to upgrade and enhance the public transportation network in order to provide the public with safe, comfortable, sustainable and reliable transport services, while protecting the environment. Furthermore, working collaboratively with DoT's strategic partners to position Abu Dhabi as a global pioneer and increasing its competitiveness to result in the rapid growth of Abu Dhabi's economy and tourism sector."

-Ends-

The Department of Transport (DoT) was established pursuant to Law No. 4 of year 2006, amended by Law No. 5 of year 2008 to cover the entire value chain and ensure fully coordinated planning in all aspects of transport policy and development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in cooperation with all relevant local, regional and international stakeholders and partners.

For more information or inquiries, please contact:
Mahmoud Ahmed Elasheri
Public Relations & Communications Consultant
Department of Transport
T: +971-2-656-6327
Email: mahmoud.elasheri@dot.abudhabi.ae 
 
Zainab Al Zubaidi
PR & Communications Officer
Department of Transport
T: +971-2-656-6425
Email: zainab.alzubaidi@dot.abudhabi.ae  

© Press Release 2013