Motorists breathe easy with new Abu Dhabi bridge

The first full working day after the opening of Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi saw smooth slow of traffic with the new bridge easing road congestion.

The project developed at a cost of Dh1 billion can handle 1,600 cars each hour and is considered the best one linking Abu Dhabi to Dubai.

Motorists found the drive quite smooth with little traffic and no congestion on the new road.

While no new statistics were available as yet on movements over the bridge, Colonel Hussein Al Harethi, director of Abu Dhabi Traffic Police was quoted by The National saying most drivers were still using the Maqta Bridge.

While the bridge will not alter the distance between Abu Dhabi to Dubai, motorists save a lot of time lost in traffic jams when they take Maqta Bridge.

The new road connecting the bridge on either side is lit up by more than 2,000 street lamps. The bridge itself is brightly lit and even has multi-coloured lights to highlight its arches and contours.