Ras Al Khaimah has officially opened phase one of a major AED410 million ($111 million) highways project connecting the north and south of the emirate.
Abdullah Al-Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development, has opened the Ras Al Khaimah Ring Road which begins geographically as an extension of the Emirates Road and stretches 30km.
The ministry said in a statement that it will begin work on completing a number of bridges as part of the second phase without affecting traffic.
The remaining works are expected to be completed during the last quarter of this year, it added.
Al-Nuaimi said: "The infrastructure sector is one of the most important sectors of interest to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for pushing the wheel of economic and social progress and to keep pace with the development of civilization and urban development. “
He added that the new road represents a major support for the northern region and consists of three lanes for each direction at a designed speed of 140 km/h, in addition to 10 intersections, and has a capacity of up to 60,000 vehicles per direction per day.
He said it will have a significant impact on reducing traffic congestion within Ras Al Khaimah by up to approximately 30 percent.
The Minister also claimed that the new road will contribute to reducing traffic accidents as it will remove trucks from the city traffic.
He said: "The National Agenda 2021 aims to make the UAE the first in the world in terms of quality of roads and traffic systems. This has been achieved thanks to the concerted efforts of the relevant federal and local authorities and the Ministry of Infrastructure Development partners in their turn.
"The Ras Al Khaimah Ring Road is considered to be one of the most important roads in the northern region. It is an artery and a vital outlet. It is a quick link to the entire region."
