DUBAI, 17 July 2007 — For the first time in the region, a floating bridge was inaugurated on Sunday linking the two banks of Dubai creek. Built at a cost of 81.5 million dirhams, the 300-meter-long bridge is one of Dubai’s quick solutions to its chronic traffic jams.
Sheikh Mohammed ibn Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the bridge.
In addition to the bridge, Sheikh Mohammed also inaugurated two other projects including new waterbuses and tandem buses.
The 300-million dirham projects are some of the many initiatives that are expected to ease traffic jams in Dubai.
The bridge, which has three lanes on each direction, was built with 20-meter wide hollow concrete blocks that float on water. Construction work on the project started in September last year. The bridge will be open to commuters from 6 a.m. till 10 p.m. and is located between the Al-Maktoum and Al-Garhoud Bridges, stretching from the intersection near Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club in Deira to the intersection on Riyadh Street between Dubai Courts and the Creek Park in Bur Dubai.
The rolling segment allows the bridge to open and close at intervals of 20 minutes to allow ships and dhows to pass. There will be enough space for small boats to pass without the bridge opening.
With a holding capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour for each direction, the bridge is expected to help reduce 37 percent of vehicular movement on the Al-Maktoum Bridge.
Currently more than 150,000 vehicles use the bridge every day. Al-Maktoum Bridge is also facing heavier traffic than usual after the introduction of a road toll on the Al-Garhoud Bridge, Dubai’s other main artery. The Floating Bridge is a temporary solution until the Road and Traffic Authority (RTA) completes the design and construction of a permanent bridge at the same place.
The luxurious waterbuses, which were also unveiled, will operate through four commuter service routes and one tourist service route.
The commuter services are from Al-Seef station to Bani Yas station, Al-Sabkha station to Bur Dubai station, Old Dubai Souk station to Al-Seef station and Old Souk station to Bani Yas station. The waterbuses will run daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The overall cost of the waterbus project is around 10 million dirhams; one bus costs 800,000 dirhams and can carry 35 passengers at a time.
The RTA signed an agreement with the Singaporean Penguin Co. to operate and maintain the waterbus at a cost of 8.9 million dirhams for two years.
