Saturday, May 07, 2016

Abu Dhabi: Around 59 per cent of the Mafraq-Ghuwaifat International Highway Dh5.3 billion project has been completed, the Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) announced on Saturday.

Built in collaboration with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport (DMAT), the highway will link Western Region cities while facilitating commercial transport on the road.

Project teams are working round the clock to meet the mid-2017 deadline. The project includes 15 new upper interchanges, in addition to making basic improvements to the existing Mafraq, Hameem, Abu Al Abyad and Madinat Zayed interchanges.

Major improvements to the existing interchanges will also be made, making the works up to 246km long.

“This project complements several other projects that aim to accommodate the expected increase in traffic volume in order to keep pace with the accelerated growth experienced across all areas, improve traffic safety on roads, eliminate congestion due to huge numbers of vehicles using this road, reduce the number of traffic accidents and increase safety ratios, as well as facilitate commercial land transport with neighbouring countries,” said Faisal Al Suwaidi, DMAT’s director of Main Roads Divisions.

“The highway project extends from Mafraq to the international borders with Saudi Arabia at Ghuwaifat, passing through the Al Ruwais industrial centre,” explained Hamdan Ahmad Al Mazroui, Musanada’s acting roads director.

“The project encompasses construction of new lanes in both directions, from two to four lanes in each direction along the 182km-long section stretching from Mafraq until Baynounah Forest area and from two to three lanes along the 46km-long section from Baraka to Ghuwaifat,” he added.

Safety

Since the project’s launch in March 2014, Musanada, in collaboration with DMAT, has been working with the General Headquarters of Abu Dhabi Police and other relevant authorities to oversee the safe progress of the project.

Ongoing coordination with the General Headquarters of Abu Dhabi Police and other relevant authorities has been maintained to ensure traffic safety for vehicle users alongside the existing road so that the traffic flow is not affected.

The project encompasses construction of lay-bys for road users (ie vehicles and trucks). There will be two shoulders on both right sides of the road for emergencies. In addition, work is in progress to construct a camel underpass close to Sila’a and Ghuwaifat, serving camel owners in the areas surrounding the road and the camel race track close to Al Sila’a area.

Environment

The new road will be raised in many locations along the highway to avoid undesired impacts of underwater immersion while helping drain rainwater. Additionally, the new project has been supplied with LED lighting systems which will result in a 60 per cent drop in energy consumption or more.

By Nada Altaher Staff Reporter

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