The Salik gate at the Business Bay Crossing is set to become one of the busiest in Dubai, rivaling the Al Barsha or Al Safa gates, which are currently the busiest toll gates in the emirate.
"Our projections indicate that the traffic at the Business Bay crossing will closely match that of Al Safa Gate or Al Barsha Gate, making it a significant contributor to Salik's revenue-generating trips. This has been confirmed by our traffic study. Al Safa South will be somewhat comparable to the Al Mamzar North and South Gates," explained Maged Ibrahim, the chief financial officer of Salik.
The two new toll gates at Business Bay and Al Safa South are slated to become operational by the end of November 2024, bringing the total number of toll gates in Dubai to ten. The Al Barsha and Al Safa toll gates are the busiest among the eight Salik gates, contributing 20.7 percent and 19.0 percent of total revenue-generating trips during the first quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, Al Mamzar North and Al Mamzar South accounted for 9.0 percent and 6.8 percent of the total revenue-generating trips.
Business Bay is a crucial artery, with many motorists from Sharjah, Al Nahda, and Al Qusais using this bridge to access Al Khail Road, one of the busiest roads in the emirate. During the Investor Conference Call on Wednesday, Ibrahim noted that the fourth quarter is the busiest in terms of road trips, followed by the first quarter, then the second and third quarters. "When assessing Salik's performance, it's important to consider the overall year as each quarter compensates for the others," he stated.
Salik's Board approved the valuation of the Business Bay and Al Safa South gates at Dh2.734 billion. The Business Bay Gate was valued at Dh2.265 billion, and the Al Safa South Gate at Dh469 million. Salik anticipates that the two new gates will generate approximately 111 million revenue-generating trips in 2025.
