Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, inspected some of the emirate’s transport projects on Saturday.
He began with a tour of the Shindagha Corridor Project, one of the largest initiatives being carried out by the Roads and Transport Authority.
The Dh5 billion project extends 13 kilometres from Sheikh Rashid Street through Al Mina Street and Al Khaleej Street up to Cairo Street.
Once complete, the Shindagha Corridor Project is expected to slash the journey time from one end to the other to 16 minutes from 104 minutes.
During his tour, Sheikh Hamdan inspected the construction of the Shindagha Bridge project. When finished, by 2027, the bridge will serve major development projects in the surrounding areas, including Deira Islands, Dubai Waterfront, Port Rashid and Dubai Maritime City.
“A city’s developmental progress is measured by its efficient infrastructure. Our world-class roads network has elevated Dubai’s urban expansion and linked newly developed areas across the city. We will continue to assess the resources needed and track the progress towards our goals,” Sheikh Hamdan said on Twitter.
Mattar Al Tayer, director general of RTA, said the 295-metre bridge was now 75 per cent complete. The bridge rises 15.5 metres above Dubai Creek, allowing the passage of boats of all sizes, and consists of six lanes in each direction in addition to a three-metre lane for pedestrians and cyclists.
It has an architectural arch design in the form of an infinity symbol. The top of the infinity arch rises 42 metres, and about 2,400 tonnes of steel will be used in the construction of the bridge. The bridge can accommodate 12,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.
It includes two large lifts at both ends of the bridge and three shared bridges for pedestrians and cyclists. One bridge is currently under construction on Al Khaleej Street, while the other two will be constructed on the Sheikh Rashid and Al Mina Streets at a later stage.
Sheikh Hamdan said infrastructure was a priority for Dubai Government as it directly serves the community.
He said infrastructure accounted for 46 per cent of the emirate’s total government spending in this year’s budget.
