The highways where the TL3 TMA is required are called Major Highways (MHT).
The following roads and highway corridors in Dubai will need TL3 TMA to be used as a minimum standard of protection for any construction, maintenance or emergency works they have:
Sheikh Zayed Road (E11)
Dubai’s tallest and busiest highway runs through the middle of the emirate at 100 to 120 km/h. Sheikh Zayed Road closures, barrier works, lighting maintenance and emergency repairs require the most robust TMA protection possible.
Emirates Road (E611)
Emirates Road is an inter-emirate high speed tollway through the eastern part of Dubai with a posted speed limit of 120 km/h. All deployment on Emirates Road works are required to be at TL3.
Al Khail Road (E44)
Al Khail Road is one of the major north-south highways of Dubai with dense mixed traffic of 100-120 km/h on the road in the residential, commercial, and industrial areas. For works where there are live carriageways nearby, all works must be covered by TL3 TMA.
T. Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311)
Mohammed Bin Zayed Road is a vital arterial connecting Dubai with Sharjah, Ajman and the northern emirates, which runs at 120 km per hour for the majority of its route. The corridor is subject to TL3 protection for any resurfacing, bridge maintenance and utility works.
Linking Dubai and Al-Ain by road (E66)
This highway links to Dubai and is used by high-speed traffic as well as a lot of commercial vehicles in and out of Dubai. All road works on this corridor must be done with TL3 TMA.
The streets of Hessa Street, Umm Suqeim Road, and Major Urban Expressways
Various expressways and traffic light upgraded arterial roads in Dubai now operate at speeds above 80km per hour, and are thus under the threshold for TL3 requirement. You should expect our team to evaluate the unique speed environment at your site before deployment and confirm that it is indeed the right TMA classification for your site.
Specification | Detail |
TMA Classification | TL3 — Test Level 3 (highest impact rating) |
Maximum Design Impact Speed | 100 km/h and above |
Certification Standard | NCHRP 350 / MASH / EN certified |
Shadow Vehicle Type | Heavy-duty truck, properly ballasted |
Minimum Shadow Vehicle Weight | As per manufacturer specification and TL3 requirements |
Arrow Board | Integrated or trailer-mounted, full LED matrix |
Lighting Package | Full retroreflective markings, amber beacons, LED warning lights |
Attenuator Material | High-strength aluminium alloy / composite crash cartridges |
Cartridge Replacement | Field-replaceable after impact |
Slew / Offset Capability | Available on select models for angled deployment |
Remote Monitoring | Available on select units |
Operator | Certified TMA shadow vehicle operator included |
For almost all types of work conducted on or next to Dubai’s fast network of highways, there is a need for TL3 TMA rental.
Highway Resurfacing and Pavement Works
Work on motorways in Dubai is done using slow-moving machines in “live” traffic lanes, for milling, paving and compaction. The convoy of the TMA shadow vehicles follows the paving convoy and offers continuous moving protection throughout the resurfacing operation — for long distances, and for multiple night shifts.
The installation and replacement of concrete barriers.
Installing and replacing concrete barriers.
Highway median and vergeside concrete barrier, steel safety barrier, and wire rope safety system installations, repositioning, and replacements must be done in the most exposed position possible from live highway traffic. The coverage of TL3 TMA cannot be compromised during these operations.
Bridge Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair
The use of under-bridge access units to inspect a highway bridge, and the maintenance of a highway bridge such as waterproofing, replacing joints, and structural repairs, often involve the closure of the road and workers close to live traffic.
Installing and maintaining an overhead gantry.
For all variable message signs, overhead lane control signals, CCTV gantries and toll system infrastructure set-up and maintenance above the live highway lanes, there needs to be a TMA shadow vehicle underneath the work zone during the operation.
Emergency Highway Repairs
Maintenance tasks for pothole repair, replacing the roadway barriers after accidents and repairing any urgent roadway defect in Dubai’s highways often occur without warning — often at night and on weekends. The certified protection that we offer is available 24 hours a day with our emergency TMA deployment service, ensuring that there is always protection available when an emergency roadway repair can’t wait.
Highway Lighting Column Works
Electrical contractors are subject to high-speed traffic along the live carriageways when installing, replacing and maintaining highway lighting columns. During ALL phases of column installation and maintenance activity a TL3 TMA shadow vehicle is required.
Traffic Signal & ITS Infrastructure Works
The installation and maintenance of ITS infrastructure – such as vehicle detection loops, camera systems, fibre optic cable and roadside cabinets – in highway corridors requires workers to work in very close proximity to the roadway traffic.
Drainage and Culvert Works.
Highway drainage maintenance, culvert inspection and inlet cleaning operations with live lanes all involve access to the traffic stream and require TMA coverage.
Marking lanes, placing road studs.
Marking lanes, setting road studs.
The high risk activities involved in repainting lane markings, installing reflective road studs, and thermoplastic road surfacing within live highway lanes involve slowly moving work vehicles over long periods of time in the lane and thus call for full TL3 TMA coverage.
Certain construction activities require a TMA.
Road Construction and Widening
For new road works and carriageway widening projects, TMA needs to be maintained throughout the construction work, especially when workers and plant are in contact with traffic during the excavation, subbase and asphalt laying and kerb installation works.
Bridge and Flyover Construction
Working over or next to a live traffic lane is a common requirement in the construction and maintenance of bridges. Installing TMA on approach roads and under bridge structures is imperative to keep the workers at height and supervisory ground personnel safe.
Utility and Service Trench Works
Trench excavation and covering for water, drainage, telecommunications, power and district cooling services that come across or alongside live roads must be covered for the entire duration of the open trench phase. TMA rental for utility contractors is amongst the busiest of all the categories in Dubai, as there are numerous utility upgrade projects going on at any particular time.
Asphalt Resurfacing and Pavement Works
Slow moving machinery such as milling machines, paving trains and roller compactors generate long work zones on live roads for resurfacing and patching operations. TMA shadow vehicles accompany the paving convoy throughout the entire paving operation to provide protection of the moving convoy.
Installing concrete barriers and safety infrastructure.
Workers need to be placed in close proximity to high speed traffic to install the NJ barriers, water-filled barriers, and permanent safety hardware on live roads. TMA protection is essential during these operations.
Traffic Signal and Street Lighting Works
Electrical contractors working when there are a live carriageway alongside traffic signals, street lighting columns and overhead gantries must be covered by TMA during the actual installation and cable pulling process.
Waterworks and landscaping.
The use of TMA is required for roadside landscaping, irrigation pipe installation and tree planting operations along major boulevards and highway verges in Dubai where workers are in the clear zone of live traffic.
Emergency Road Repairs
Rapid deployment of TMA is often needed to complete pothole repair, emergency utility reinstating or unplanned road defect repairs, which are often conducted at short notice at night times and on weekends. We have an emergency hire service available 24 hours a day so you will always be protected when an urgent repair can’t wait.
We can hire certified TL3 highways across Dubai and UAE on flexible daily, weekly and monthly contracts. Our highway TMA service is designed to fit the needs of high speed road use — where equipment is required to perform at the highest level, operators must be at their peak, and response times are crucial.
Units that have been certified as TL3.
All vehicles in our highway fleet are currently certified to NCHRP 350, MASH or EN standards. For your project HSE files, the typical documents supplied include pre-deployment inspection records and certification documentation.
Well-ballasted Shadow Vehicles.
The TL3 performance mode requires the shadow vehicle to weigh at least a minimum amount and to be configured in a minimum way, as determined by the attenuator manufacturer. Our shadow trucks are ballasted and set up for every deployment and not just the heaviest truck that can be pressed into service.
Certified Shadow Vehicle Drivers.
Our TMA operators have been trained and certified to operate vehicles in the TL3 highway shadow classification. They are aware of the nature of high speed traffic, appropriate positioning protocol, emergency protocol and the nature of Dubai’s motorway network.
Complete Lighting and Visibility Package.
A combination of LED arrow boards, full perimeter amber beacon arrays, retroreflective markings and truck mounted warning light bars is required for Highway TMA deployments. Our highways are all standard equipped for day and night.
Traffic Management Integration.
Work with your traffic management contractor to make sure the TMA deployment runs smoothly with the rest of the lane closure and signing arrangement. Complementary Traffic Management resources, such as traffic control officers, advance warning signs and channelising devices are provided where necessary.
24/7 Emergency Response.
Business is not business when the road goes down! Rapid TMA mobilisation is available 24 hours a day, for unplanned highway works, replacement of barriers after accidents, and emergency works anywhere on Dubai’s motorway network.
