Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has approved the New Fourth Corridor, an 80km road project connecting Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
The corridor will run from Al Faya Road in Abu Dhabi to Al Shanouf Road in Sharjah and will be built in two phases. Phase one, stretching 30km from Al Shanouf Road to Dubai-Al Ain Road, carries a price tag of roughly AED3.5 billion. The full project will feature 72 bridges 17 tunnels and 45 stormwater drainage culverts, passing near Al Maktoum International Airport, the Al Marmoom and Al Wohoosh desert conservation reserves and the Etihad Rail route.
Sheikh Hamdan said the corridor reflects the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and reinforces Dubai's road network ahead of future growth. He linked the project to the Dubai Social Agenda 33 and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and described continuous infrastructure development as central to keeping Dubai competitive on a global scale.
The corridor becomes the fourth strategic route linking the emirates after Sheikh Zayed Al Ittihad Road Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road. Mattar Al Tayer Director General of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority said the route will divert truck traffic away from urban areas and ease pressure on existing corridors.
Phase one will offer 12 lanes in both directions cutting journey times by 60 percent from 35 to 14 minutes while serving around 600000 people. It includes 55 lane kilometres of at-grade roads and widening works on Dubai-Al Ain Road. Phase two will extend a further 50km to Abu Dhabi cutting travel time by 52 percent and serving an estimated 3.1 million residents once complete.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
