RW Armstrong was appointed as the lead design consultant by the UAE Ministry of Public Works (MOPW) for the Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) to Al Madam truck road project in September 2011.

Almost 95% of the UAE’s heavy aggregates originate in the mountains and foothills of RAK. As a result, the MOPW has an ongoing policy to upgrade and increase the capacity of the infrastructure required to support the transportation of heavy aggregates across the emirates.

The existing truck road runs through the towns of RAK, Manama, Al Dhaid and Siji. The existing pavement has deteriorated over time and requires regeneration. The northern town of RAK will be by-passed and the resulting alignment will tie in with the proposed future RAK ring road. The southern town of Siji will also be by-passed and tied into the existing E77 trans-Emirate highway via a fully grade separated interchange.

The scheme passes through six Emirates and interfaces with over 40 stakeholders, one of which is the existing RAK International Airport and will require close co-ordination when designing street lighting and emergency landing strips.

The total length of the truck road is approximately 127 km with a design speed of 100km/hr and is classified as a 3 lane primary arterial road.

The scope of RW Armstrong’s services includes:

• Constraints studies.
• Traffic studies.
• Hydraulic studies & modeling.
• Detailed highway design.
• Structural design.
• Tender documentation.
• Construction supervision.

The project has been divided into three major sections for study and design:

· Section A:

The new route of RAK ring road to Khat roundabout is approximately 15 km of primary arterial selected from three alternative alignments passing through farmland. The tie-in with RAK ring road was based on extensive coordination with the designer and RAK Municipality Planning Department. The final route was selected based on existing zoning, cost and road safety.

·  Section B:

Khat roundabout to Al Manama is approximately 38 km with an alignment that follows an existing dual-carriageway primary arterial. This section, passing through the small towns of Siji and Manama, will be reconstructed and upgraded as it requires widening of the existing roadway to accommodate dual three lane carriageway highway as well as widening of the overall right-of-way for the utility reservation.

·  Section C:

The new route of Al Manama to Al Madam is approximately 74 km that traverses through an undeveloped area, predominantly of farmland alignment. RW Armstrong has assessed three alternative alignments based on cost, expropriation, and road safety.

11 No grade separated interchanges are to be provided at major intersection points and significant hydraulic structures will be provided in areas where ‘wadis’ are likely to wash out.