Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) signed an agreement on Wednesday with the Dubai-based developer, Nakheel, to construct a 1.4-kilometre bridge connecting Dubai Islands and Bur Dubai, as part of the Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project.
Why does it matter?
The Dubai Islands project will feature direct entry and exit points on the Bur Dubai side, through a bridge spanning the Dubai Creek, connecting the Infinity Bridge with the Port Rashid Development Project.
The bridge will feature four lanes in each direction, with a total capacity of 16,000 vehicles per hour.
Additionally, it will stand at 15.5 metres above the Dubai Creek and incorporate a 75-meter-wide canal, allowing vessels of various types to navigate through the creek.
The project will also feature a dedicated lane for cyclists and pedestrians on one side of the bridge with two elevators on both ends to ease their mobility.
Slated for completion in 2026, the project will also entail the construction of surface roads extending approximately 2,000 metres to connect with existing roads from both ends of the Dubai Islands and Bur Dubai.
“This marks the second agreement under the initiative to provide entrances and exits leading to Dubai Islands, a venture RTA successfully undertook in partnership with Nakheel in 2020,” RTA’s Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Mattar Al Tayer said, highlighting that the project marks a key phase of the Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, one of the largest projects currently being undertaken by RTA, with an estimated cost of $1.4 billion (AED5.3 billion).
Al Tayer further highlighted that the corridor will serve Deira and Bur Dubai, along with several development projects including Dubai Islands, Dubai Seafront, Dubai Maritime City, and Port Rashid.
“It is expected to serve about one million people—[and] slash the travel time from 104 minutes to just 16 minutes by 2030, and the time saved over 20 years will be worth about $12.25 billion (AED45 billion),” he added.
Read more:
Dubai implements new traffic laws: $13,600 fines, vehicle impoundment, and deportation for violators
Dubai to Sharjah travel time to be slashed to 12 minutes with $102 million road project
Sustainable development
On his part, the Director-General of Dubai Ruler’s Court, Managing Director of the Investment Corporation of Dubai, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of NAKHEEL, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, said that Nakheel and the RTA have both been at the forefront of innovation, exploring ways to develop sustainable environments, and further reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global hub for innovation and infrastructure development.
Al Shaibani further noted that Dubai Islands, an integral waterfront development situated at the northern coastline of Dubai, will be easily accessible by land and see through the well-planned road bridges and water transport.
