By Staff Reporter
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), in coordination with Majid Al Futtaim Group, has awarded a contract to widen and improve the entrances to the Mall of the Emirates and the surrounding streets and intersections. This project, costing about AED 165 million, also includes enhancements to pedestrian and cycling lanes.
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said,
The project involves constructing 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 km around the mall, developing three signalized 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, the rainwater drainage system, and landscaping works.
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 enhancing traffic efficiency and safety on the roads surrounding the mall,
added Al Tayer.
Mall of the Emirates, which opened in 2005, annually welcomes over 40 million visitors. The mall hosts 454 stores of leading fashion brands, 96 restaurants and cafes, and unique entertainment venues such as Ski Dubai and the largest VOX Cinema in the Middle East. The mall also includes five-star hotels: Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Sheraton Mall of the Emirates Hotel, and Novotel Suites Mall Avenue. Additionally, it is directly connected to the Mall of the Emirates Metro Station via a pedestrian bridge.
News Source: Dubai Media Office
