The Al Khawaneej Road Improvement Project is now about 60 percent complete, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, announced the progress of the project last January 30, Saturday.

The project works include the construction of three intersections, service roads extending 23 kilometers along Al Khawaneej and Al Amardi Roads.

Al Tayer said the completion rate reached 82% at the underpass intersection of Al Khawaneej Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road. Currently, the contractor is working on the supporting walls of the open section of the tunnel.

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Works for this section will be completed and the tunnel is expected to be opened for traffic this March.

Progress rate for the bridge leading to Al Awir has reached 60% following the installation of recast bridge parts across the Emirates Road in Abu Dhabi-Sharjah direction.

Installation works of other parts at Al Amardi is currently underway and expected to be completed by the end of this month.

The contractor will undertake the remaining construction works, such that the bridge will be ready for opening also by the end of March this year.

Once the project is completed, it will slash the travel time between the Emirates Road and the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road from 25 minutes to 9 minutes.

The waiting time will also be reduced at the junction of Al Khawaneej-Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Roads from 330 seconds to 45 seconds. It will double up the capacity of the junction from 8,000 to 16,000 vehicles per hour.

“Replacing the roundabout at the intersection of Al Khawaneej-Al Amardi Roads by a surface junction will halve the waiting time from 120 seconds to 60 seconds,” Al Tayer explained.

He added the project also includes the construction of a tunnel of three lanes in each direction extending 680 meters at the intersection of Al Khawaneej Road with Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road.

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There will also be a construction of a surface signalized junction to ensure free and safe traffic flow on Al Khawaneej Road, and upgrading the existing roundabout at the intersection with Al Amardi Road by signalized junction.

The intersection of Al Amardi-Emirates Roads will be upgraded to a flyover to two lanes in each direction extending 201 meters above the Emirates Road in the direction of Al Awir.

A footbridge will also be constructed near the Arabian Center at Al Khawaneej Road. The other projects include service roads extending 23 kilometers along Al Khawaneej and Al Amardi Roads, and upgrading three junctions at Algeria Street to signalized junctions.

Streetlights, rainwater drainage system, directional signs, road markings, and protection works for road safety will also be included.