The tenth Salik gate in Dubai, located in Al Safa South, is now up but not yet operational. It is situated between Al Meydan Street and Umm Al Sheif Street on Sheikh Zayed Road. The toll gates have been installed but do not have any identifying decals, as of now. Salik CEO Ibrahim Al Haddad confirmed that the two new toll gates will be operational by the end of November. The toll gates contain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that will be used to detect and scan Salik tags on passing vehicles.
The other new Salik gate, the ninth toll gate, is located on Business Bay Crossing along Al Khail Road. The commencement of operations is on track, with no delays expected in the construction of the new toll gates. The toll gates will be almost 100% solar-powered, a first for Salik. Each time a vehicle passes through a Salik toll gate, the RFID technology detects the vehicle and scans the Salik sticker tag, deducting a toll fee of Dh4 from the motorist’s prepaid toll account.
The Al Safa South gate on Sheikh Zayed Road heading towards Abu Dhabi is situated after the Dubai Water Canal bridge, in front of MedCare Orthopedics and Spine Hospital. The toll gate on the direction towards Sharjah is located between United Arab Bank and Pupil of Fate Motors, before making a turn to Al Meydan Street or Al Hadiqa Road towards Jumeirah. The new toll gates are expected to improve traffic flow allocation between Financial Centre Street and Meydan Street, reducing traffic volume and congestion on key roads.
The impact of the new toll gates will be significant in improving traffic allocation and reducing congestion on key roads. Al Safa South gate is expected to reduce right-turn traffic volume and redistribute traffic to larger streets. With the upcoming Business Bay Crossing gate, congestion on Al Khail Road and Al Rabat Street is expected to decrease significantly. Any adjustments to the toll fees remain a decision for the RTA and are subject to approval by the Executive Council of Dubai. The goal is to make transportation in Dubai more efficient and enhance traffic flow across the road networks.
Currently, Dubai has eight operational Salik gates, including Al Mamzar North, Al Mamzar South, Al Garhoud Bridge, Al Maktoum Bridge, Airport Tunnel, Al Safa, Al Barsha, and Jebel Ali. Last year, about 593 million journeys went through Salik toll gates, with a significant increase in revenue. From January to June this year, 238.5 million trips passed through the toll gates, resulting in a revenue of Dh1.1 billion, up by 5.6% from the previous year. The introduction of new toll gates aims to enhance the overall transportation system in Dubai and reduce traffic congestion on key roads.
