Dubai Construction work on two new bridges over Dubai Creek will start next year as scheduled, a senior official at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has confirmed.The two bridges deemed as city landmarks will be constructed at a total cost of Dh 1 billion and will significantly help in easing traffic congestion in the city.
The Director of Roads at RTA, Eng. Nabil Muhammed Saleh said that the study on the project had been completed and that the consultant had been notified to proceed with the preliminary design. The bridges will have 24 lanes altogether in both directions.
One of them, Al Shindagah Bridge, will be built next to Al Shindagah tunnel while the second bridge will connect Omar bin Khattab Road in Deira to Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road in Bur Dubai. Once the new Business Bay Crossing is fully opened in May, there will be a total of 32 lanes crossing the Dubai creek. Other existing crossings are the Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud bridges as well as the Al Shindagha tunnel. The construction of the two bridges is in line with Authority’s efforts to ensure adequate trans-creek traffic capacity that can handle the volume of existing and expected traffic. The project follows the results of studies commissioned by reputed international research firms on the need to build additional passes on the Creek. Last year, RTA announced that the designing of the project would be ready by the end of 2007 and that construction work would commence in early 2008.
Currently, some 18,000 vehicles cross Dubai creek per hour per direction and this capacity is expected to increase to 48,000 vehicles per hour per direction once the two bridges are opened. The highlight of the Al Shindagha Bridge will be its unique design, as it will be shaped to resemble a majestic gate, reflecting its importance in Dubai’s development. The bridge will be constructed using an advanced structural system that will be applied for the first time in the world; the bridge will have no supporting pillars, thereby keeping the creek fully open for maritime traffic, said Nabil. The two new bridges over Dubai Creek will be part of an internal ring road being developed around the Central Business Districts in Deira and Bur Dubai. The ring road will run from Omar Bin Khattab Road starting from an intersection near the Etisalat Tower in Deira towards Corniche Road near the Hyatt Regency and will lead on to Al Khaleej Road in Bur Dubai through the new Al Shindagha Bridge.It will follow to Al Mina Road (near Port Rashid) and will turn left on Shaikh Rashid Road. It will then turn onto Shaikh Khalifa Road towards the BurJuman Centre and will end at Al Seef Road connecting with the new Fifth Bridge on the creek. RTA will upgrade at least 13 interchanges and will construct some small bridges leading up to the new bridges to ensure smooth flow on the ring road. Motorists travelling in the Central Business Districts the most congested areas in the city will be able to avoid traffic congestion by using this new ring road. The highlight of the Fifth Bridge will be a 100-metre-high tower offering a panoramic view of the city, which will serve as a tourist site and can be accessed via a lift linking it with a platform on the creek's water, used to park the trip boats and sea taxis. A restaurant will be set up at the top of the tower.With the construction of the two new bridges, the creek will have a total of seven crossings by 2009.
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