Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that construction work on the Wafi Interchange in the Oud Metha area is 65% complete and will be open by the end of April.

The project contractor has completed almost 70% of construction work on the new flyover along with lighting and utility works, while the roadworks are 35% complete, the RTA said.

The project, which costs about AED88 million ($24m), includes the construction of a three-lane bridge branching from Oud Metha Road (near the Latifa Hospital) in the direction of Sheikh Rashid Road. From there, the bridge will extend to the Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) and Al Saada Road, through the overpass leading to the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Spanning 700m, the new bridge will have the capacity to handle 3,300 vehicles per hour. Project works also include lighting, signage, rainwater drainage, and utility lines.

“The construction of Wafi Interchange is part of RTA’s strategy to improve and upgrade the main roads network in Dubai. Wafi Interchange is very important as it links with main roads, and intersects with the Sheikh Rashid Road and the Oud Metha Road,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and chairman of the RTA.

The interchange is expected to ease the movement of vehicles in a bustling area that frequently experiences traffic snarls, he added.

“When completed, the project would eliminate the overlapping traffic at the interchange, and ensure a smooth vehicular movement in various directions. The traffic will run smoothly from Oud Metha Road in the direction of Al Ain to the east, and from Sheikh Rashid Road in the direction of Oud Metha to the west,” Al Tayer noted.