Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority has opened two new footbridges over Ras Al Khor Road.
The two new bridges are fitted with high-tech electromechanical, alarm, firefighting and remote monitoring systems as well as bike racks.
The first bridge is 174 metres long and links Creek Harbour and the Ras Al Khor Industrial Area. It encompasses two 120-metre-long ramps, each 1.9 metres wide to allow for cyclists.
The second bridge is 101 metres long and is located on Ras Al Khor Road, directly across from Marhaba Mall and Wasl Complex in Nadd Al Hamar, with two ramps on either side spanning 120 metres.
The new infrastructure is part of the transport authority's plan – announced in June – to construct seven footbridges to improve pedestrian safety in the emirate.
The first of seven bridges connects Al Khaleej Street, between the junction of Omar Bin Khattab Street and Abu Bakr Al Siddique Street, near Dubai Hospital.
Four more bridges are under construction and will include dedicated bike racks.
They include one on Al Mina Street – between Al Saqr and Al Mina intersections – and another on Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Street, between Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street.
“The construction of footbridges focuses on providing numerous service facilities such as elevators, alarm and firefighting systems, and remote monitoring systems, and at the same time cater to employing creative and aesthetic design aspects,” said Abdulla Al Ali, chief executive of the Traffic and Roads Agency at RTA.
“The locations of footbridges are chosen according to several key parameters that include pedestrian incident spots, traffic intensity and the movement of people between the two sides of the street, as well as the distance to the nearest pedestrian crossing, locations of public bus stops, markets, commercial centres, and government and private entities.”
The new bridges are being built as part of ongoing upgrades to Dubai's roads.
At the start of the month, the RTA announced a Dh689 million revamp of Hessa Street aimed at cutting congestion, slashing travel times and boosting safety on one of the emirate's busiest routes.
The programme will expand Hessa Street to four lanes in each direction, adding 4.5km of road, and involve the development of four junctions.
The initiative will double the capacity of the road, which serves residential areas with a population of about 640,000.
A 13.5km cycle path is also being planned, along with two bridges that will serve cyclists and pedestrians crossing Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Street.
