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RTA issues Dhs165m contract to widen Mall of the Emirates exit routes

RTA issues Dhs165m contract to widen Mall of the Emirates exit routes

Image credit: WAM

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded a contract for widening and improving the entrances to Mall of the Emirates and the surrounding streets and intersections.

The project, which has been conducted in coordination with Majid Al Futtaim Group, is valued at about Dhs165m.

Additionally, the enhancement project includes improvements to pedestrian and cycling lanes.

The increase in road capacity aims to reduce travel time for traffic coming from Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali to the Mall of the Emirates, as well halve the travel time, for motorists coming from Umm Suqeim to the mall.

Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said, “The project involves the construction of a 300-metre bridge on Sheikh Zayed Road with a single lane, providing direct access to the Mall of the Emirates parking lots for motorists coming from Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali.”

“Additionally, the current ramp at Umm Suqeim intersection will be widened southward by improving the intersection to facilitate the movement of vehicles from Umm Suqeim Street to the existing bridge leading to the mall’s parking lots.”

“Further works include improving the surface roads extending 2.5 kilometers around the Mall, developing three signalised surface intersections, modifying the bus station at the Mall of the Emirates Metro Station, converting the street next to Kempinski Hotel from one-way to two-way, and enhancing pedestrian and cycling lanes. “These improvements also cover paving, lighting, traffic signals, rainwater drainage system, and landscaping works,” Al Tayer explained.

“The project will significantly reduce travel time for traffic coming from Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali to the Mall of the Emirates, cutting it from 10 minutes to just one minute. “It will also reduce the travel time for motorists coming from Umm Suqeim from 15 minutes to 8 minutes, thereby improving traffic efficiency and safety on the roads surrounding the Mall,” added Al Tayer.

Image credit: RTA/X

The Mall of the Emirates, which opened in 2005, annually welcomes over 40 million visitors.

Located near the Sheikh Zayed Road as well as serviced by a metro station, the retail destination has 454 stores of leading fashion brands, 96 restaurants and cafes, and entertainment venues such as Ski Dubai and the largest VOX Cinema in the Middle East.

The mall also includes five-star hotels such as Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, and Sheraton Mall of the Emirates Hotel, as part of its facility.

Read: Dubai’s tourism boom: 9.31 million visitors in H1 2024