JBR jam: Dubai Tram barricades off this week

Residents of Jumeirah Beach Residence and Dubai Marina are heaving a collective sigh of relief as the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed that the Al Sufuoh road diversions are to be lifted by next week.

Of the seven junctions closed to regular traffic down D94, the Habtoor junction was reopened over the weekend, while the corresponding six intersections will be regulated in phases over the coming days.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Hussain Al Banna, Director of Traffic of the Traffic and Roads Agency, said: “The work is now focused on the final phase of the road diversions, with contractors already opening up Al Habtoor junction to traffic over the weekend and easing congestion considerably down Al Sufuoh road.

“All the remaining intersections will reopen by the end of this week and we are confident that by next week, the entire area will be improved and witness smooth flowing traffic for residents and visitors.”

Al Banna continued: “Overall, there were seven major intersections that were affected by the road diversions down Al Sufuoh, which reduced the two-lane stretch to a single lane in large parts.

“With the new road system in place, the living conditions in the community will improve and it should help with the daily commute for residents in the area.”

The reopening of schools, post the summer break, saw commuters in the area report long traffic jams, with people complaining of being unable to ferry themselves out of the community as taxi drivers and buses also reportedly curbed services into the neighbourhood.

The RTA information line confirmed that services on three bus routes, namely 84, 85 and 8 were affected due to the Dubai Tram diversions.

The traffic situation deteriorated last week when the RTA closed the Sheikh Zayed Road access on Al Sufouh Road, in front of the JBR complex, due to the Dubai Tram testing that has reached its final stage.

The road closure resulted in commuters from Dubai Marina and other surrounding areas being re-routed to Al Sufouh Road, which turned into a single lane road at intervals.

RTA did acknowledge the situation on social media on Sunday, and apologised for the congestion.

It stated: “We would like to apologise to all road users in the areas surrounding the Dubai Tram Project for the inconvenience caused due to traffic and we’d like to ensure that we are committed to the completion of this project on time, which will serve both residents and visitors and will provide easy accessibility in the area.

“We’d like to announce that a number of intersections will be opened in the same area this week and all major intersections will be opened before the end of this month.”

Traffic-free zone

Al Banna also confirmed that the entire road system around Al Sufuoh is being overhauled, with a master plan that ensures wider roads and a traffic system that is integrated with the Dubai Tram schedule to avoid further traffic bottlenecks.

He explained further: “The idea is to turn JBR and its surrounding areas into a limited-car access zone by facilitating the connection between the Dubai Tram and the corresponding two metro stations in such a way that every area will be easily accessible by simply walking to it by hopping on and off the tram.

“Plus, the plan is to further widen the road network in the community to further ensure free-flowing traffic.”

He added: “Meanwhile, the traffic lights at the intersections will be integrated in such a way to ensure there is no bottleneck at certain points on the road, and to ensure safety for all those around when the tram is passing through the intersection.”

Al Banna further added that unlike the Dubai Metro, the Tram will have a driver in it at all times, to ensure the safety of its passengers and vehicles that are crossing on the roads.

“We are incorporating all safety procedures, including a 15-seconds delay for cars to clear free of the intersection before the tram crosses,” he added.

The Tram is expected to shuttle 22,000 passengers per day, which will go up to 66,000 passengers by 2020, Al Banna revealed.

Quizzed on whether Al Sufuoh’s speed limit was to revert to 80kmph from its current 60kmph, which was introduced when the road works first began for Dubai Tram, Al Banna denied this would be the case.

He said: “The 60kmph will be a permanent speed limit for Al Sufouh, with a 20kmph grace limit. With the Dubai Tram shuttling down the stretch, we need to ensure the safety of all those using the road network.”

The Dubai Tram is scheduled to commence operations in November.

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