Construction work is to start on an eight-lane bridge over Dubai Creek to ease traffic around Deira and Bur Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority said on Sunday.
The 1.4-kilometre bridge, with four lanes in each direction, will link Infinity Bridge with the Port Rashid Development Area. It will cost Dh786 million and is expected to carry 16,000 vehicles an hour.
The bridge will rise 18.5 metres above Dubai Creek, the authority said, with a navigational channel 75 metres wide to allow vessels to pass underneath.
It will have pedestrian and cycling paths, with elevators to aid anyone crossing the bridge.
Two kilometres of new roads will also be constructed to connect the bridge with the existing routes on both sides of Dubai Islands and Bur Dubai.
The authority is leading a road-building strategy to help ensure Dubai's infrastructure can keep pace with the city's population growth. Dubai's population passed 3.5 million in 2022 to reach 3.9 million.
Dubai Government is set to invest heavily in infrastructure in the coming years as it sets its sights on growing a population of 5.8 million by 2040.
In October, Dubai unveiled its largest government budget for 2025-2027, with spending of Dh272 billion.
In 2025, expenditure is set at Dh86.26 billion, with 46 per cent to be spent on infrastructure, including roads, bridges, transport systems and renewable energy centres, as well as the Al Maktoum Airport development.
In January, a 300-metre bridge connecting Sheikh Zayed Road to the Mall of the Emirates was opened to ease traffic levels in one of the busiest districts of the emirate. The bridge provides direct access to the mall and aims to cut travel times in half.
