Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced plans to start the construction of three footbridges in different parts of the emirate.

The move comes following the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance the traffic safety and provide safe crossings for pedestrians, said the statement from RTA.

Of these footbridges, one of them will be unique with four escalators linking the four sides of a key junction at the King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street. It boasts an iconic design inspired by the nature of buildings in the area and the coastal surroundings, it stated.

“The project covers designing and constructing three pedestrian bridges to ensure safe pedestrian crossing. The bridges spread in three Dubai hotspots namely King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street at the Marina, Khaled bin Al Waleed Street near Rif’aa Street intersection, and the Arabian Ranches Street near Al Asayel junction," remarked Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of RTA.

The pedestrian bridge on King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street features an iconic design, the first-of-its-kind in the region. It links four sides of a vital junction of King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street with the western street near the JBR and the entrance of the Marina.

The area has a great appeal to visitors and sea-goers and provides a unique residential experience for residents and visitors of Dubai.

The design of the Bridge front is inspired by the urban nature of the area with a shape and colour that fit well with the surrounding buildings. The curved shape of the bridge emulates the coastal location as well as the great harmony with the neighborhood.

The bridge enables pedestrians to move freely between the four sides of the junction without stopping at the traffic signals. Expected to be completed in December next year, it extends 65m and can accommodate 4,000 people per hour.

Constructing a footbridge of this magnitude at the Marina has been prompted by a host of considerations. The junction is used by about 2,300 persons and 2,000 vehicles during peak hours, stated the RTA chief.

More than 1,000 people cross the junction to head to the JBR during the weekends. Moreover, the Dubai Tram crosses the intersection every six minutes. The area accommodates two Tram stations and one bus stop, and there are no pedestrian crossings nearby, he added.

Al Tayer pointed out that the pedestrians’ safety was a top priority in RTA since inception and had been working towards that goal.

"RTA has set several parameters for selecting the locations of these bridges such as the number of run-over accidents (black points), the intensity of traffic movement, the movement of people between the two sides of the street, and the distance to the nearest pedestrian crossing," explained Al Tayer.

"Factors dictating the construction of pedestrian bridges also include the locations of public transport stops, markets and shopping centres, public and private entities in addition to observations received from the Dubai Police and the public," he added.-TradeArabia News Service