Academic City Road is now called Zayed bin Hamdan Road
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, renames Academic City Road as Zayed bin Hamdan Road to honour Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan and his contributions to the UAE.
Sheikh Mohammed made the announcement on twitter, and said: "This street that is used by tens of thousands of students every day shall bear the name of one of the Emirati youths the nation is proud of.
“Oh Zayed Bin Hamdan, may you and the nation's youths keep serving your home country. This street embodies the persistence, determination, resolve, power and sacrifices of the Emirati youth.”
The road named after the name of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan is one of the Dubai’s strategic roads. The road has a capacity of 12,000-16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions and offers access to a number of major areas such as Dubai Silicon Oasis, Arabian Ranches and the Expo 2020 site.
The road runs parallel to Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) Road and Emirates Road and features main intersections with Ras Al Khor Road, Latifa bint Hamdan Street, Hessa Street, Al Yalayis Road, Al Qudra Road, Jebel Ali-Lehbab Road and Al Ain Road, in addition to 10 secondary intersections.
The eight-lane highway extends 50km from its intersection with Jebel Ali-Lehbab Road to the Oman Street intersection, and half of the Road has already been opened to traffic while the remaining half will be opened later in March.
On February 18, the country's leaders congratulated Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his recovery after undergoing medical treatment following a helicopter crash while performing his military duties in Yemen.
Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan is the grandson of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, returned home last Saturday after successful treatment in Germany for his injuries.