Traffic is backed up leading to Abu Dhabi on the Maqta Bridge yesterday.
Traffic is backed up leading to Abu Dhabi on the Maqta Bridge yesterday.

No end in sight to the Maqta Bridge traffic jam, say police



ABU DHABI // A traffic jam that persisted for hours near the Maqta Bridge yesterday could return again for an "unspecified" period into the future, police said. Motorists coming to Abu Dhabi across Maqta Bridge were stuck yesterday in traffic from early morning to about 11am, officials said, with tailbacks stretching off the island. Traffic police said the jam was caused by road maintenance on the bridge, which is ongoing.

Motorists were advised to avoid driving during peak times or to take other roads. "Road maintenance was the cause of the jam, and it will continue for awhile, but we don't know until when exactly," a Traffic Police operations officer said yesterday, adding: "The traffic jam will continue to happen in peak times, especially in the morning." The right lane on Maqta Bridge was closed yesterday. Hisham al Sha'rawi, a 24-year-old Egyptian engineer, said that once he saw the traffic on the bridge, he took the Tarif-Abu Dhabi road to avoid the tail-back. He said he encountered the jam about 7.40am on his way from Dubai.

"I took the exit and went through Mussafah Bridge. There was no traffic on that one," Mr al Sha'rawi said. @Email:hhassan@thenational.ae