A new Salik gate is being installed on the Sheikh Zayed Road and will start operating on October 24, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Wednesday.
The toll gate, located on the Sheikh Zayed Road nearby Jabal Ali and before the intersection of Yalayis, will start operating on October 24 after the completion of two major road projects, 7th interchange on the Sheikh Zayed Road Project and Al Yalayis Road Improvement Project.
The gate will begin operation on October 24, following the opening of the two road projects at a cost of Dh1.2 billion.
“The new toll gate will reduce traffic flow to Sheikh Zayed Road by 25 per cent and will encourage residents to use public transportation.,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Roads and Transport Authority.
The transport authority aims to redistribute traffic movement and divert some of the traffic flow to alternative routes, including the Emirates Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road, and Al Khail Road. Thus it will ease the traffic pressure on the Sheikh Zayed Road, one of the busiest traffic in the Emirate, according to RTA.
Two major road projects, the 7th interchange on the Sheikh Zayed Road Project and Al Yalayis Road Improvement Project, will open in September 15.
Al Yalayes Road is being constructed over six kilometres, extending from the 7th Interchange of Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road at Al Houdh Interchange. The Al Asayel Road is being constructed over five kilometres, linking with JAFZA, Jumeirah Islands, and Emirates Hills, according to RTA.
Al Asayel Street will provide additional capacity to parallel roads and manage to take up to 12,000 vehicles per an hour in both directions. It will also increase the capacity of Al Yalayes Road to 20,000 vehicles per an hour in both directions, and cut drivers’ journey time between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to about four minutes.
The recent road improvements and projects will increase the intake of the roads, enhance business activities, boost goods movements towards and from Jabal Ali port, provide new entrances and exits for new developments, including Al Farjan, Discovery Gardens and Jebel Ali Development.
Yousef Salim, a 42-year-old Syrian, who commutes to different emirates, said: “Working in the sales industry requires to move to different emirates and I am usually stuck in traffic. I live in Ajman and when I move from my house at around 5am when I am required to deliver some goods in Jabal Ali. Installing a new Salik Gate is definitely a financial burden. I do my best to avoid routers where Salik gates are installed.”
“Several initiatives have taken place to reduce traffic, but roads are usually very busy, especially not during Summer,” said Mr Salim, who works in a sales company in Dubai.
“My work is based in Dubai, but I move to different shops in different areas and emirates due to the nature of my job,” he added.
On the other hand, some people were delighted to know about new plans to ease and reduce traffic flow. “So many of my friends live in Jabal Ali and I am happy to hear the roads will be less congested,” said Nour Mohammed, a 30-year-old housewife.
“Summer is my favourite season in the UAE as roads are mostly clear,” she added.