Few motorists will have mourned the passing of this flyover, otherwise known as Al Khan Bridge, which passed over Sharjah Gate Square.
Shown under construction here in 1978, the federally funded bridge was intended to improve traffic flow on a section of road that was a key connection between Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, and Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Used by thousands of commuters every day, the narrow flyover rapidly became inadequate for the volume of traffic. Many drivers admitted fearing that, at just two lanes, an accident might easily send them over the edge.
The structure was intended only to be a temporary solution, but as is so often the way with such things, remained for another 25 years.
It was finally replaced in 2005, with the huge new six-lane cloverleaf Al Ittihad interchange that cost an estimated Dh33 million. The new junction – like its predecessor – was intended to improve Sharjah’s notorious traffic congestion. The verdict on that one, as they say, is still out.
* James Langton