ME’s longest road tunnel completed
5 December 2012Abu Dhabi has completed the region’s longest traffic tunnel, local media reported recently. The 3.5km long tunnel, which is part of the AED 5bn (USD 1.3b) Al Salam Street Tunnel project, is part of a long-term blueprint by Abu Dhabi to expand its inhabited areas and road networks to cope with a sharp rise in the population.
The project, which was carried out by a joint venture consisting of Saif Bin Darwish and Samsung C&T, will link the mainland to the nearby Reem Island, where at least 100,000 inhabitants will live. The causeway to the island has already been completed.
The tunnel starts from the eastern entrance of the Abu Dhabi city centre and runs under Al-Salam street towards Port Zayed on the western tip of the city.
The 3km tunnel project was originally due to be completed by the end of 2010 but was delayed due to technical and topographical reasons, the joint committee, which consists of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, Abu Dhabi Police, Department of Transport, and the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority stated previously.
