Ali Al Shemaili says Ras Al Khaimah’s 32-kilometre ring road has cut 40 minutes from his weekly commute to Abu Dhabi – but it has also cut his community of Shimal in half.
The bypass connects the E311 motorway from the southern desert suburbs with north-coast villages, Saqr port, quarries and cement factories.
The three-lane motorway has long been considered crucial to reducing the industrial traffic that clogs Ras Al Khaimah’s downtown roads, and linking northern communities to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The RAK Ring Road has only officially opened along the section that runs from the E311 at Exit 126, but it comes amid a push for better road infrastructure, including to the north.
Last week, The National reported on how crippling traffic between Sharjah and Dubai is putting a strain on businesses in the surrounding areas as customers seek to avoid the gridlock. Earlier in the month, it was also revealed in a global study that the average Dubai commuter spent 29 hours stuck in rush hour traffic last year, which is the equivalent of about three working days.
And in February, FNC member Abdullah Al Mehrezi named a number of roads in the northern emirates that have been suffering from a lack of attention for decades. More
By Anna Zacharias thenational.ae
