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Sharjah: Motorists in Sharjah will continue to suffer from traffic congestion for at least three more years until the completion of some major ongoing road projects.
Click here to view Sharjah road projects (pdf)
"Sharjah is currently carrying out Dh732 million road projects to ease traffic congestion on the city's most congested roads," said Engineer Nasser Mahfouz, Head of Road Planning and Transportation Section at the Directorate of Town Planning and Survey.
He said the construction of a double-deck road on parts of Al Wahda Street is also currently under way.
Other road improvement projects include expansion of King Abdul Aziz Road and the construction of the Sharjah Ring Road in different phases in addition to improvement of internal roads in the congested city centre area.
"We are also conducting studies for an extensive network of public transport to provide alternative modes of transport," Mahfouz said.
"Two major road projects are currently being undertaken to ease traffic flow in the congested areas of the city," said Mahfouz.
He told Gulf News in an interview that the projects would reduce congestion in the city and ensure smooth traffic flow.
Mahfouz also revealed that studies are being conducted for the extensive network of public transport to provide alternative means of travel.
Key projects
"Sharjah is a flourishing city and currently most of its roads are being developed," Mahfouz said.
He asked motorists to bear with road diversions because they are necessary for the development work. "Residents will see the difference in traffic flow within a few years," he said.
Two major road projects currently being carried out include expansion of Al Wahda Street and the development of King Abdul Aziz Street.
"Work on the second phase of King Abdul Aziz Street and the fifth phase of Al Wahda Street development have already started. The projects cost Dh732 million," he said.
The Dh477 million Al Wahda Road project will turn one of the city's most congested roads into a double-deck expressway.
Junctions and roundabouts on Al Wahda Road will have flyovers, tunnels and bridges. Currently about 110,000 vehicles use Al Wahda Road every day.
A 1.6 km double deck road will be built between King Faisal Interchange and the Gold Centre intersection (junction at Al Wahda Street and Al Qasimi Road).
The elevated part will have two lanes in each direction. It will allow the free flow of traffic along Al Wahda Street, bypassing the congested junctions at Abu Shagara and the Gold Centre.
Another part of the double-deck road will pass over the Flying Saucer Roundabout (Shaikh Hameed Bin Saqr Al Qasimi Square) allowing free flow for motorists travelling along Al Wahda Street to bypass the junction.
The present roundabout will be replaced by an intersection with signals for all other traffic.
Once completed, Al Wahda Street will be an expressway allowing free flow of traffic through the centre of the city.
The current King Abdul Aziz Road next to King Faisal Mosque will be reconstructed and connect the new road that will cross Sharjah Creek via a new bridge towards Al Layyeh.
The project consists of five phases. The first four phases comprises multiple roads divided into three lanes in both directions, and will be 14 kilometres long. It will have 13 intersections in the form of bridges and tunnels to ease traffic congestion.
"The new King Abdul Aziz Road project is vital to minimise the traffic congestion in the middle of the city and in the industrial areas," said Mahfouz. "I think we will see the difference within five years."
Your comments
The main problem is planning, by the time those projects are complete, they won't be enough to accommodate the traffic, and we'll be back to square one.
Ali
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 14:34
I leave my house at 6.15am daily to avoid the bottlenecks and chaotic traffic. But everyday this gets worse and if there is an accident somewhere, then just leave the car in P mode. Now is the correct time to open the Mamzar Road and let our vehicles breathe freely otherwise some of us will end up ill due to the stress while driving.
Ali
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 13:58
So there are new roads being developed, so what's new? Three years down the line, the number of vehicles on the road would have increased so much that the new roads would again be congested. What Sharjah needs is a new transportation mode. Tubes. Roads are not going to solve the situation. It would only encourage more and more vehicles to hog the roads.
GP
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 13:27
That is nice to hear that there is development going on in Sharjah. The Road Planning and Transportation Section of Sharjah should take the example of Dubai by working speedily in the night.
Omar
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 12:00
This is going from bad to worse. Any route that we take is of no avail. It takes at least two hours to reach Dubai at any given time slot in the morning unless we start leaving at 5am. Until this project does come to an end, we would have either reached a psychiatrist or aged by 15 years in three years. Please open the Mamzar Road on the highway that has been barricaded now. This is very unfair!
Sanaa
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 11:18
There is also a need of either an over-bridge or a subway in front of the Safeer Mall on the Dubai-Sharjah highway. I would recommend the Sharjah Municipality to get it done.
Simran
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 10:50
It is okay to develop new roads but what we are seeing recently are just high rise buildings along narrow roads in Al Khan Area, Buhairah Corniche and newly built areas.
Mujtaba
Jeddah,Saudi Arabia
Posted: October 28, 2007, 10:48
Unless people learn to drive in a civilised manner instead of the selfish, arrogant, undisciplined driving that currently exists, then it will all be an expensive waste of effort.
Martin
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 10:36
I really appreciate the work which is being done by Sharjah these days, but the government shoud have first made alternative routes.
Amer
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 10:22
When this projects are completed Sharjah will have additional cars to make the situation same. Till the time they bring in a public transport system in place, the congestion problem can't be solved.
Deepak
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 10:05
Good move, but the used cars showrooms in Abu Shagara should also be shut down as the cars parked on the street is a cause of huge traffic jams.
Maryam
Sharjah,U.A.E
Posted: October 28, 2007, 10:04
The efforts of the authorities to ease traffic in Sharjah need appreciation. As motorists, we need to bear with the authorities and support them in every possible manner. Commenting on the delay is always easier, but lets be in their shoes for sometime and think of the difference it would make to all of us and our time. Good luck.
Raj
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 09:46
Sharjah is a very calm and beautiful place. I would vote Sharjah as the best emirate. Once the traffic problem is solved I can assure people will love to live in this emirate only if the rent is reasonable for the middle class income people.
Irfan
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 09:35
It is good that road projects in Sharjah are in progress to ease the traffic flow in the city. But before starting these projects, the government should have closed down used cars showrooms in Abu Shagara, which are contributing to the traffic congestion.
Vinay
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 08:28
We appreciate the efforts taken by the head of road planning with regard to traffic congestion on Sharjah roads. I suggest that in the road expansion plans, the road between Al Khan and Al Nahda Interchange should be looked into. A major part of the traffic to Dubai passes through the industrial areas.
Usha
Sharjah,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 07:39
Sharjah needs an overall infrastracture change and not just road network. The industrial area, which is the first think one sees when entering Sharjah, is totally wrong. It needs to be relocated away from residential areas to divert traffic.
Karkain
Dubai,UAE
Posted: October 28, 2007, 06:53
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