By Salah Al Deberky Source: www.khaleejtimes.com
FUJAIRAH – The Shaikh Khalifa Expressway, linking Fujairah and Dubai and constructed at a cost of Dh2 billion, will be opened soon to coincide with the National Day celebrations.
“The expressway will help commuters to cover the distance between the two emirates in 40 minutes,” said Mohammed Saif Al Afkham, Director of the Fujairah Municipality.
He said the new expressway’s construction was commenced in mid-2006 in pursuance of the directives of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and is nearing completion. Al Afkham appreciated the effective and fruitful role played by the Ministry of Public Works in completing road.
He also thanked the ministry for its initiative in giving approval for the study of the Fujairah Municipality on restructuring Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah Street, the main road in the emirate and one of the existing federal roads, which forms an extension to the new Sheikh khalifa Express Way. The municipality’s study suggested the expansion of Shaikh Hamad bin Abdullah Street to become a dual carriage way consisting of three lanes on each direction.
“The two roundabouts at the entrance of the emirate will be converted to underpasses for the flow of the traffic and to ease congestion,” he noted.
The traffic signals near the entrance of the Shaikh Khalifa Expressway will be converted to a big-size junction with roundabout and traffic lights to control the vehicular traffic, he said.
The Fujairah Municipality has invited tenders from contractors for paving a new road in the emirate at an approximate cost of Dh6 million. The proposed road will connect the street in front of the Fujairah Ruler’s Palace to the private schools complex and the tennis club. The 1.5km new road, when completed, will serve many new government buildings and departments which have been set up in the neighborhood, and will ease the traffic jam and the pressure on the main road, he added.
