Abu Dhabi expects to collect 400 million dirhams ($109 million) a year from a road toll to be introduced on Oct. 15, Ibrahim Sarhan al-Hamoudi, acting executive director of surface transport at Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport, has said.
“We expect 400 million dirhams per annum of revenues from this and we expect to invest back,” Hamoudi told reporters on Thursday.
He said Abu Dhabi spends 3-4 billion dirhams a year on infrastructure and that the toll would help reduce congestion.
Electronic toll gates will be placed on four bridges leading to Abu Dhabi city.
The Integrated Transport Center (ITC) will collect a toll as each vehicle crosses any of the four toll gates on Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge, Al Maqtaa Bridge and Mussafah Bridge.
The toll fee will be AED4 for every pass during peak hours from Saturday to Thursday (7am - 9am and 5pm - 7pm). During off-peak hours, on Fridays, and during public holidays, the toll fee will be AED2 for every pass. The toll collection system is operational 24/7, with a daily maximum fee of AED16 per vehicle. The amount due will be automatically deducted from a prepaid user account (the Integrated Electronic Payment wallet). Vehicles will be automatically identified by their plate number without having to stick a tag on the windshield.
Abu Dhabi will be the second of the UAE's seven emirates to have a road toll after Dubai, which introduced "salik" in 2007.
