Riyadh high-tech overpass opens

The long-awaited overpass along King Abdul Aziz Road with its intersection with King Abdullah Road was inaugurated in Riyadh this week by Riyadh Gov. Khalid bin Bandar, who is also president of the High Commission for Riyadh Development (HCRD).
The state-of-the art overpass, located in one of the busiest business hubs in the capital, will connect north and south Riyadh, while the lower overpass will connect other directions.
“The project, which took 20 months to complete, will have a positive impact on the traffic on two main roads but also on this part of the city, which witnesses traffic and trade intensity throughout the day,” said Ibrahim Al-Sultan, president of Projects and Planning Center at the HCRD.
He pointed out that the project, which was designed in the form of a hanging bridge surmounted by a bracket, aims to achieve both functional and aesthetic success.
He added that the columns bearing the bridge were omitted from the intersection further down the bridge to increase space for movement for both pedestrians and vehicles while providing architectural beauty to the King Abdullah Road, which is being developed within the concept of comprehensive development.
He said: “It not only eases traffic congestion but also for caters to urbanization, environmental preservation and takes care of humanitarian and aesthetic aspects in line with its role as a major business hub in the city.”
The overpass project includes decorating the bow with a variety of illuminations that interact with a number of daily events in the city, where the lights come on in different colors. The lights illuminate the bridge at the five daily prayer times, festival occasions or national events. It can also be programmed to reflect the density of traffic on the road.
The official said that the total length of the project has reached 1,100 meters, while the the bridge's structure is 645 meters in length. The length of the arc measures 83 meters, an increase of up to 26.65 meters, he said, noting that the bridge is made of steel weighing 1,600 tons, while the remaining parts were built from high-class concrete to withstand maximal pressure.
He added that the bow is equipped with 12 cables to carry 60 percent of the overhead bridge, while three of these cables can be dispensed in cases of maintenance work or when replaced without having any effect on the traffic passing over the bridge.
The main route of the bridge, consisting of three lanes each measuring 3.5 meters in width, will enhance the capacity of the King Abdul Aziz Road and will help make it artery-free both northward and southward which allows the intersection at the bottom to circumvent King Abdullah Road and King Abdul Aziz Road in different directions without hindrance.