Filed on July 11, 2018 | Last updated on July 11, 2018 at 08.12 am

Built at a cost of Dh90 million, the road will better connect the northern and southern parts of the emirate.

The Ras Al Khaimah Ring Road is scheduled to open today, July 11.

This according to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development's official Instagram account.

The post reads: "The Ras Al Khaimah Ring Road functions as an extension of Emirates Road. It junctures off Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road and runs for 30 kilometres to RAK Sha'm road towards the Sultanate of Oman."

A 30 per cent decrease in traffic congestion is expected.

"The new road is an extension of the Emirates Road in Ras Al Khaimah and is a major part of the RAK ring road," said Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development.

"Built at a cost of Dh90 million, the road will better connect the northern and southern parts of the emirate," he said. "It will see around 60,000 vehicles on both directions every day.

"This will cut down delays at the emirate's intersections because heavy trucks will be denied access to downtown after the inauguration of the RAK ring road."

The road consists of three lanes in each direction and a middle road island that can be turned into a fourth lane in each direction in the future as per needs, he stated. "The new road has been equipped with bypasses to ease vehicle movement from the districts of the RAK city in a smooth way and avoid any major traffic disruption."

The project spans the construction of a free intersection on the RAK International Airport Road in the Suhaila area, he pointed out. "This will facilitate the traffic movement in all directions."

All necessary transport and protection of utility lines, including electricity, water and communications, have been taken care of, he underlined.

The Emirates Road stretch in Ras Al Khaimah, which includes the RAK Ring Road, has been divided into several stages.

The road connects a number of modern residential areas under construction including Sheikh Khalifa City, Buteen Al Samar, Al Hamraniya, Awafi, Al Daqdaqa, Suhaila, Al Seeh and Shamal.

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com