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Expo 2020 Dubai: More than 15 infrastructure projects worth over Dh15 billion have been built to serve Expo 2020 Dubai, the emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed.

Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, director-general, chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said the roads infrastructure and mass transit networks would provide express mobility services to visitors of the world fair from Dubai and other emirates across the UAE.

Al Tayer said the projects have received immense support from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and active follow-up by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council, Khaleej Times reported .

The RTA has also made massive improvements to the roads and infrastructure surrounding the Expo site. Among those built were flyovers, tunnels and dozens of bridges, in addition to several road-widening projects.

Six flyovers were constructed to ensure free traffic movement in all directions. “We have also constructed 64 bridges stretching 13km, five box tunnels extending 450 metres, and roads extending 138 lane-kilometres in addition to 25 entry lanes and 21 exit lanes for vehicles at the Expo site,” said Al Tayer.

Considering the immense nature of the road projects — which were completed in 2020 — they have been divided into six phases.

In the first phase, the RTA transformed the previous roundabout at the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road-Expo Road intersection into a flyover. It widened the Expo Road from four to six in each direction, increasing its capacity from 16,500 to 69,000 per hour.

Under the second phase, two flyovers were constructed at the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road, increasing the road’s intake from 21,600 to 45,000 per hour at the southern entry and 48,200 vehicles per hour at the northern entry.

The third phase turned another roundabout at the intersection of Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street with Expo Road into a flyover. It increased the road capacity from 5,000 vehicles per hour to a whopping 62,100.

Then, the intersection of the Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street with Al Yalayes Street was transformed into a flyover. Two bridges with two lanes in each direction were also built on the Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street to serve the traffic heading towards the Dubai Investments Park.

The project raised road capacity from 7,800 to 49,800 vehicles per hour at the intersection.

Another roundabout was converted into a flyover under the fifth phase. The project also involved increasing the number of lanes on the Expo Road from four to six lanes in each direction over a 3km stretch, adding 5km to the Emirates Road and constructing service roads that increased the road capacity from 2,000 to 54,000 vehicles per hour.

Finally, the Expo Road was widened from three to six lanes in each direction over a 3km sector, and service roads were constructed to improve the traffic situation of the existing roads.