Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority on Sunday opened a 300-metre bridge on Sheikh Zayed Road which gives drivers from Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali access to Mall of the Emirates.
The single-lane bridge is expected to cut travel time to the shopping hub from 10 minutes to one, and it can handle 900 vehicles an hour.
In addition to the bridge, the project upgraded the mall’s entrances, surrounding roads, intersections, pedestrian walkways, and cycling tracks. The road adjacent to the Kempinski hotel was also converted from one-way to two-way traffic.
“The new bridge enhances traffic efficiency and improves road safety on the roads surrounding the mall,” Mattar Al Tayer, RTA director general, said.
Mall of the Emirates opened in 2005 and attracts more than 40 million visitors annually.
Looking to the future
The project to improve traffic flow into the landmark follows the opening of an 800-metre tunnel in August.
The tunnel extends from the junction with Al Khail Road to the intersection with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road as part of the Umm Suqeim Street development project.
Authorities are also investing heavily in public transport services to help keep pace with a sustained population boom, cut congestion and drive down emissions in support of key environmental goals.
In July, official figures revealed that more than 395 million journeys were made on Dubai's expanding public transport network in the first half of this year, a 9 per cent increase on the same period last year.
About 2.18 million journeys were made on average each day, up from 1.98 million daily trips in the first half of last year.
“The continued growth in public transport ridership reflects users’ confidence in the system’s efficiency and the quality of services provided across all modes,” said Mr Al Tayer at the time.
“We remain committed to delivering safe, comfortable, and sustainable mobility solutions for every segment of society.”
