“Dubai Roads” has completed 80% of the Gulf Street tunnel project, with a length of 1,650 metres

The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai has completed 80% of the implementation project for the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel, which extends from the end of the slope of the Infinity Bridge in Deira, to the intersection of Al Khaleej Street and Al Wuheida Street, with a length of 1,650 metres, a capacity of three lanes in each direction, and a capacity of 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions. Its implementation comes as a translation of the directives of the wise leadership, by completing the stages of the Al Shindagha Axis Development Project, to keep pace with the continuous development witnessed in the area. Along the axis, accommodating the needs of population growth.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Authority, said: “The implementation of the Gulf Tunnel is part of the Shindagha Corridor development project, which is one of the largest projects currently being implemented by the Authority. It extends along Sheikh Rashid Street, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street, and Cairo Street, with a length of 13 kilometers, and includes the development of 15 intersections, and serves a number of vital residential areas, and development projects, the most important of which are Dubai Islands, the Waterfront Market, and Dubai City. Navigation and Port Rashid. The population served by the project is estimated at one million people, and the development of the axis will contribute to reducing journey time from 104 minutes to 16 minutes by 2030.”

Al Tayer added: “The project includes implementing a tunnel with a length of 1,650 metres, with a capacity of three lanes in each direction, to provide free traffic for those coming from the Infinity Bridge towards Deira and vice versa. It also includes developing the roundabouts on Cairo and Al Wuheida Streets into signal-controlled intersections, as well as implementing some improvements on Cairo Street, and linking the ramp of the bridge coming from Dubai Islands to the new tunnel on Al Khaleej Street towards Al Mamzar, indicating that the project serves the Abu Hail areas. Al Waheeda and Al Mamzar, in addition to the development projects: Dubai Islands, the Waterfront Market, and Hamriya Port.”

In order to accelerate the pace of work on the project, to complete it according to the time schedule set for it in the last quarter of this year, 14 work teams are currently working on the project around the clock to carry out the work of strengthening the sides of the excavation, by constructing retaining walls using the technique of intersecting piles (Secant Piles) at great depths, in addition to sheet piles (Sheet Piles) at medium depths. Four work teams also continue to carry out tunnel excavation work around the clock, with a daily completion rate ranging from 5,000 and 6,000 cubic metres, and it will rise in the next phase to 8,500 cubic meters per day. The company implementing the project has completed the first phase of construction work for the tunnel body with a length of 890 metres, equivalent to 65% of the total work. Work continues in the second phase with a length of 760 metres. The work of cladding the walls of the tunnel has also begun, in parallel with the completion of paving and expanding roads, and the implementation of lighting and traffic lights systems, in addition to completing Rainwater drainage and irrigation networks, and services diversion and protection works in the project area.

The project recorded a qualitative achievement with the total number of working hours implemented reaching approximately 8 million working hours since its launch, achieving the highest indicators of occupational safety, and not recording any lost-time injuries, which reflects the acceleration of the pace of implementation and the efficiency of operations management according to the approved timetable, with the participation of 1,591 engineers, technicians and workers, in addition to the operation of 221 equipment and machinery at the work sites.

As part of the “Dubai Tunnels” initiative, the Gulf Street Tunnel will be transformed into an integrated artistic painting that enhances the aesthetic and urban landscape in Dubai, and establishes the presence of art in the emirate’s vital facilities and infrastructure, reflecting the cultural character and modern visual identity of the city.

The design, presented by Emirati artist Maryam Al Hathboor, relies on embodying the Dubai skyline in the drawing style used on paper currencies, through precise lines and rich details that reflect the commercial value of the area surrounding the tunnel and the urban identity of the city of Dubai, and at the same time highlight the economic and developmental status enjoyed by the emirate. The painting extends over the tunnel mural to display the most prominent new landmarks in the Dubai skyline, most notably the Infinity Bridge, so that its details gradually reveal during movement inside the tunnel, to give the user a dynamic visual experience. It is interactive and expresses Dubai’s development and innovation, and reflects its ability to integrate art with urban spaces in an innovative way.

The tunnel mural will be executed using mosaic, due to the speed of implementation, high efficiency and long lifespan of this technology, in addition to its ability to maintain the quality and sustainability of the artistic work in the long term.

• 12,000 vehicles per hour, the tunnel’s capacity in both directions.

• Upgrading the roundabouts on Cairo-Al-Wahida Streets into intersections controlled by traffic lights.