475m long cycling bridge complete says Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority
The new bridge measures five metres in width and is fitted with rails between the lanes and on both sides
A new 475m-long bridge over Ras Al Khor Rd (Dubai-Hatta) for pedestrians and cyclists is complete, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced.
According to a statement from the RTA, the bridge links International City and Al Warqaa and eases the mobility of pedestrians between the two sides of Ras Al Khor Road. It also links the cycling tracks from Al Khawaneej, Mushrif and Al Warqaa with International City and Dragon Mart.
Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of RTA Executive Directors board said with this completion, the number of footbridges in Dubai has increased from 13 bridges in 2006 to 129 bridges in 2020. He stated that the RTA plans to construct 31 additional footbridges in the next five years, which will bring the total number of footbridges in Dubai to 160.
Al Tayer explained, “The RTA’s efforts to improve pedestrian safety contributed to reducing pedestrian fatalities in Dubai by as much as 81% between 2007 and 2020.”
Explaining the construction of the bridge, he said, “It has a steel and concrete structure that required the transportation of 370 tonnes of structural steel to the site in four different pieces. A reinforced concrete layer was then placed on the upper deck of the bridge. The bridge spans 475m in length, which includes a steel structure part that extends 110m. The bridge is built on three concrete pillars and connects with ascending and descending slopes on both sides extending about 180m. The bridge extends five metres in width: three metres for cyclists and two meters for pedestrians. It is fitted with slip-resisting flooring and subdued decorative lighting. It has metal railings on both sides for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.”
He stated that the RTA had previously completed cycling tracks in different parts of Dubai including Al Warqaa, Mushrif and Al Khawaneej, as well as two bridges shared by cyclists and pedestrians on Al Khawaneej and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Road.
The total length of cycling tracks constructed in Dubai until the end of 2020 is 425km. The RTA plans to build more cycling tracks that will increase the length to 668km by 2025, he concluded.
