As part of its $1.4bn (Dhs5.3bn) traffic improvement scheme, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai has opened two major bridges and a tunnel with a combined capacity of 27,200 vehicles per hour. This is part of RTA’s Falcon Interchange Improvement Project, which aims to ease traffic flow between Al Khaleej Street, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road and Al Ghubaiba Road. The Falcon project is a segment of the 13km Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, which spans Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street.
The two bridges are connected by the Infinity Bridge and Al Shindagha Tunnel from the Northern side and will link up with the bridges that the authority is currently constructing at the junction of Sheikh Rashid Road and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. The wider Al Shindagha initiative encompasses the construction of 15 junctions spanning 13 km in total and is split into five phases due to its massive scope. The corridor serves Deira and Bur Dubai in addition to several development projects such as Deira Islands, Dubai Seafront, Dubai Maritime City and Mina Rashid.
RTA’s traffic improvement plan includes the construction of dedicated bus and taxi lanes extending 37 km during the period 2023-2027. These lanes will cover eight main streets, bringing the total length of dedicated bus and taxi lanes to 48.6 km.
In addition, RTA introduced the Comprehensive Digital Experience Lab, a pioneering initiative among Dubai Government organisations, to enhance customer service provided through its digital channels. The lab will not only improve both the quality and design of services from a customer’s perspective, but it will also simultaneously improve and standardise their experiences across various digital channels. The initiative is also aimed to enhance employees’ experience with digital systems by engaging them in the ‘digital service’ design stages.