Sahara Centre, the leading family shopping and entertainment destination in the UAE, and one of Sharjah’s prominent landmarks, is to construct a covered pedestrian bridge across the busy Al Nahda road. 

The bridge, to be built at cost of Dh7 million ($1.9 million) would provide safe crossing for pedestrians and allow easy access into Sahara Centre. The bridge is expected to be ready for use by September 2008.

Commenting on the initiative, Jean Pierre Nammour, managing director of Sahara Centre, said: “The Al Nahda area in Sharjah where the mall resides is developing at a very fast pace and we foresee a steep rise in visitor traffic.'

'Considering the location of the mall, this pedestrian bridge will provide an ideal walkway solution for visitors living on the opposite side of the mall and will provide them with a safe and easy access to the mall.'

The construction of the pedestrian bridge forms part of the ‘Sahara City’ project; an Dh4 billion expansion plan that will more than double the size of the emirate’s landmark shopping mall and will provide a major boost to the emirate’s plans to increase tourism and attract further investment.

The bridge will be 6.5m high and span 48 meters across the Al Nahda road. Made of a structural steel frame with steel deck flooring, and a metal panel wall with roof cladding, the bridge will be accessible from the sidewalk by either panoramic lift or staircase.

The bridge has been designed by architectural and engineering consulting company Khatib & Alami and will be built by Al Nimr Contracting.-TradeArabia News Service