Al Shindagha Tunnel (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: نفق الشندغة) is a tunnel in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

. Opened on 19 December 1975, it is the oldest and the busiest tunnel where 55,000 vehicles travel through the tunnel both directions daily. It goes under Dubai Creek to connect the neighborhoods of Al Ras, Deira and Al Shindagha where it is the only underwater road crossing Dubai Creek. The tunnel has a total of four lanes (two in each direction), a height clearance of 5 meters and speed is limited at . Dubai Shindagha Tunnel Reopens

History

For many years the twin town of Deira and Al Ras were connected by a twin bridge which caused delays due to time lags in opening and closing of the vacuoles. Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Dubai ruler entrusted Sir William Halcrow and Partners to do a feasibility study to build a more direct link between the two towns. A bridge nearer to the sea was not possible, the reason being the same when the existing bridge were sited and William Halcrow and partners proposed a tunnel to be built. An added advantage of the tunnel would be its proximity to the Port Rashid which was also designed by William Halcrow and partners. Preliminary studies demonstrated the feasibility of both dry land and immersed methods of construction. The contractor company however elected to build the tunnel in the dry. Stage 1 envisages dredging back of Deira bank to form a new diverted channel for shipping and building of a coffer dam out in to the creek from the Shindaga. Stage 2 would be to create an island in the middle of the creek and reopen the original channel for shipping now between the island and the Shindaga, Close the new diverted channel. Then building a new coffer dam in the Deira bank and pump the area dry and start building the tunnel from the Deira side towards the island. Finally on completion the original bank and channel would be reinstated. It was inaugurated on 19 December 1975 by

Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani ( ar, خليفة بن حمد آل ثاني; 17 September 1932 – 23 October 2016) was the Emir of Qatar from 27 February 1972 until he was deposed by his son Hamad bi ...

, the ruler of Qatar, in the presence of

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...

, the president of the

and Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the vice president of UAE and the ruler of Dubai.

Replacement

Due to the aging of the tunnel, the Roads and Transport Authority is planning to replace tunnel with a bridge. The bridge is set to have multiple lanes to improve the flow of traffic.

External links

Construction video of the tunnel

References

Tunnels in the United Arab Emirates Transport in Dubai Buildings and structures in Dubai Tunnels completed in 1975 Road tunnels {{Dubai-stub