DUBAI: Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), announced that the bridge extending from Al Khail Road to the Financial Centre Road, constructed in collaboration with Emaar Properties, will be opened in early January 2018. The contractor is currently putting the final touches on the project in preparation for opening, revealed Al Tayer.

“The project encompasses the construction of a two-lane one-way bridge extending 1,270 metres at a width of 11 to 15 metres built on single columns crossing over the Dubai Water Canal. The project works include lighting and infrastructure works such as the shifting the impacted utility services like water, electricity, irrigation, sewage and telecommunication lines,” said Al Tayer.

“The bridge, which starts from the intersection of Ras Al Khor Road-Al Khail Road, encompasses adding two lanes extending 480 metres to the existing road to enable direct flow of traffic from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al Khail Road via the upper deck of the Financial Center Road. Works include providing an entry point for the parking terminal of the extension of Dubai Mall. The project will ease the flow of traffic along the Financial Centre Road and surface intersections, thus easing the pressure on the intersections of Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevards. It will raise the capacity of the road to 4500 vehicles per hour during peaking hours, serve several development projects and ease the pressure on the existing roads network,” explained Al Tayer.

The construction of the said bridge is intended to accommodate the massive expansion of Dubai Mall undertaken by Emaar Properties rendering it the largest shopping and entertainment destination in the world capable of receiving more than 100 million visitors per annum. Expansion works of the mall include constructing a department for fashion besides the existing mall, which adds 75 thousand square meters to the mall area in addition to 25 thousand square meters as parking spaces.