Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said it has awarded a Dh120 million ($33 million) contract for the construction of a bridge extending from Al Khail Road to the Financial Center Road in Dubai, UAE.

The project, which is being developed in co-ordination with Emaar Properties, is expected to be completed in early 2017, said a statement from RTA.

It is aimed at improving the traffic flow along the Financial Center Road and at-grade intersections by reducing the density of traffic at junctions leading to Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, it stated.

"The project comprises the construction of a two-lane bridge linking Al Khail Road with the Financial Center Road over a sector extending 920 m in length with a width ranging from 11 to 15 meters. The bridge would be built on individual piers and pass across the Dubai Water Canal," explained Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the RTA board.

It also covers lighting and infrastructural works including the diversion of impacted utility lines such as water, electricity, irrigation, sewage and telecommunication lines, he noted.

Once the project gets completed, the Al Khail Road will be able to handle 4,500 vehicles per hour during peak hours, besides serving several development projects, and easing the pressure on the existing roads network, he added.

According to him, the project starts from the intersection of Ras Al Khor Road with Al Khail Road to ensure streamlined traffic flow.

The existing road would be widened by adding two lanes in a sector stretching 480 meters in order to ensure a seamless traffic movement from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al Khail Road along the upper deck of the Financial Center Road, said the RTA in its statement.

It also includes adding an entry point to the parking terminal attached to the expansion of the Dubai Mall, it added.

According to RTA, the bridge project also aims to accommodate the massive expansion undertaken by Emaar Properties of Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination such that it can receive more than 100 million visitors per annum.

The expansion includes a department for fashion shops over and above the existing retail area, thus adding about 75,000 sq m to the Mall in addition to 25,000 sq m to the parking areas.-TradeArabia News Service