Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah has announced AED 750 million worth of road projects to improve connectivity between Sharjah and Dubai, including a new tunnel under Al Taawun Roundabout and a separate road corridor due to open before year-end.
Speaking during a telephone appearance on the “Direct Line” programme, Sheikh Dr Sultan said the tunnel would run beneath Al Taawun Roundabout as a dual carriageway extending to Al Nahda Bridge in Dubai.
“The Al Taawun Roundabout Monument holds strong sentimental value for residents. However, necessity dictated its temporary removal until the completion of important development projects. Al Taawun Road is important because it leads to Dubai. Therefore, it became necessary either to construct an elevated bridge over the monument or find another solution.We planned to construct an underground tunnel comprising a dual carriageway extending to Dubai up to Al Nahda Bridge. However, the presence of the monument presented a challenge. We brought in the designer and engineers to inspect the site and its foundations. They found that the foundations were firmly fixed in the ground and difficult to remove.
Specialists indicated that it would be possible to design the road and return the monument to its original location after the project is completed. Work is currently under way to implement this plan. The works affecting entry to and exit from Al Taawun Street will require only a short period, while engineers simultaneously redesign and reinstall the monument in its original location,” Sheikh Dr Sultan said, according to a report by Emirates News Agency (WAM).
A second route, Noor Road, extending from Al Orooba Street into Dubai via Al Nahda Bridge, is scheduled to open by the end of this year. Sheikh Dr Sultan said the new roads would also connect Al Taawun directly to Emirates Road and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road, reducing pressure on the existing roundabout.
Directional signs along the new routes will guide drivers to Expo Centre Sharjah, with direct access to the centre’s parking facilities.
“We are opening these internal areas to our neighbours. The Emirate of Sharjah is a welcoming place that embraces all who come to it,” he said.
