Construction work on the second phase of the Dh197 million ($53.64 million) Northern Emirates ring road project is to begin soon, officials said.

The road will serve as an alternative to the busy Al Ittihad Road.
The UAE Public Works and Housing Ministry aims to build new highways as part of plans to expand the Northern Emirates' road network, said Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of Communications and Acting Minister for Public Works and Housing.
Al Tayer said the ministry would start work on a 20-km stretch of the Sharjah to Ajman road, with three lanes in each direction. The road ends in the Al Surrah area on the Umm Al Quwain to Falaj Al Mulla Road. Construction will start this month (August) and it is expected to be completed by 2005.
A number of interchanges will be built on this road, as well as safety barriers, camel underpasses and fences. It is designed for daily use by heavy vehicles.
At the end of last month, the ministry was due to start construction of the Sharjah to Ras Al Khaimah alternative road comprising 42 km of dual carriageways.
It will start at the existing Umm Al Quwain to Falaj Al Mulla Road in the Al Surrah area and end in the Al Rifaa area, connecting Sharjah with Ras Al Khaimah. The first phase of this road will cost Dh149 million and is scheduled for completion in 2005.