New Al Garhoud Bridge is opened

The new 14-lane Al Garhoud Bridge has been opened and construction started on a newly named sixth crossing over Dubai Creek.

The crossing, which will be one of the biggest projects undertaken by the Roads and Transport Authority with an initial cost of Dh3 billion, was officially named Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Crossing by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (pictured above, right), Dubai Deputy Ruler, who presided over the ceremonies.

With the opening of the new Al Garhoud Bridge, the number of lanes crossing Dubai Creek has risen from 19 at the time of establishment of the Roads and Transport Authority to 48 now. The new lanes follow the completion of the 13-lane Business Bay Crossing, the six-lane Floating Bridge and the widening of Al Maktoum Bridge from nine to 11 lanes.

Construction work on the new Al Garhoud Bridge lasted almost 24 months, from the design stage to project operation.

Construction also included work on adjacent embankments and road upgrading. More than 2,000 individuals took part in the construction works of the bridge, which required more than one million tonnes of waterproof containers, 143,000 tonnes of cement, 17,000 tonnes of steel pillars and more than 2,000 tonnes of steel bars for tying and bonding the structure.

The newest crossing has been named after Sheikh Rashid in commemoration of the role the late leader played in building and developing the UAE in general and the emirate of Dubai in particular, Sheikh Maktoum said at the ceremony.

The new 12-lane span of the bridge will link Al Jaddaf at Bur Dubai with the road separating the Lagoons project and Dubai Festival City. It will provide entry and exit points for the Creek Island on which the opera building will be constructed.

The bridge will take four years to build and will incorporate a three-metre wide pedestrian walkway.

The sixth crossing will include a Dubai Metro and Abra station. It will be an arch-suspended bridge providing a stunning shape visible from multiple angles.

The Roads and Transport Authority has said the bridge could be viewed as an acoustic wave forming a tone compatible with the opera, a dune or a new moon rising in the Dubai night.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.