Upgraded Dubai road boosting access to Al Qudra lakes opens on Tuesday


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A major Dubai road expansion scheme, which will more than double traffic capacity and ease access to a network of popular desert attractions, will open to motorists on Tuesday.

The Saih Al-Dahal Road Improvement Project will connect with entry points to the Al Qudra lakes, a cluster of man-made beauty spots, including the heart-shaped Love Lake, Swan Lake and Flamingo Lake.

A single-lane road that served the area has been replaced with a dual carriageway extending 11 kilometres, made up of two lanes in each direction, along with a central reservation and three roundabouts to ease movement.

It will boost traffic capacity from 1,800 to 4,000 in each direction.

The upgraded route will also link Saih Al-Salam Road with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.

It is the latest part of an ambitious strategy by transport authorities aimed at reducing congestion, boosting road safety and enhancing the area's status as a leisure attraction.

The Love Lake, in Al Qudra desert, is shaped like two interlocking love hearts with trees planted beside the water to spell out the word 'love'.

First revealed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, on Instagram in November 2018, it has become a popular spot for residents and tourists.

Mattar Al Tayer, director general of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority, said: “The project complements a series of projects completed by RTA in the area, such as the 23-kilometre Dubai Cycling Track, which links with the existing cycling track at Saih Al-Salam running alongside Al Qudra Road at the Gateway of the Dubai Cycling Track in the direction of the Emirates Road.

An aerial view of the crescent moon lake in Al Qudra. Pawan Singh / The National
An aerial view of the crescent moon lake in Al Qudra. Pawan Singh / The National

"From there, it links with the Latifa bint Hamdan Road, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road, Al Barari district and up to Nad Al Sheba community.

"The cycling track at Saih Al-Salam, which extends about 115km, is fitted with several amenities including outlets for renting bikes and accessories, a fully-equipped clinic, and 10 rest areas along the cycling path fitted with seats and bike racks.”

A number of important road schemes are still in the works.

Nine more roundabouts are being built to improve traffic flow and safety along with four camel and horse crossings, a cycling track, service roads, parking spaces and widening of the existing parking area at the Dubai International Endurance Village.

Street lighting and rainwater drainage work is also being carried out.

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

Profile

Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

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Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

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THE SPECS

Engine: 3-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 424hp

Torque: 580 Nm

Price: From Dh399,000

On sale: Now

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Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

The Outsider

Stephen King, Penguin

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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

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Price: From Dh117,059

Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Updated: May 23, 2022, 3:07 PM