Emaar has announced that more than 90% of the work for the $48 million Al Khail and Financial Centre Bridge is complete, and that work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Running from Al Khail Road to the Financial Centre Road, the project is being developed in conjunction with Dubai’s RTA. Work on-site is in full swing, the developer added.
The project is vital to accommodate Emaar’s massive expansion of the Dubai Mall, which will see it add 75,000sqm of retail space, along with an additional 25,000sqm of car parking. The expansion includes the construction of a ‘Fashion Avenue’ beside the existing mall, further expanding the biggest shopping and entertainment destination in the world, which receives more than 100 million visitors per year.
“The project is aimed at easing the traffic flow along the Financial Centre Road as well as the surface intersections by reducing the vehicular density on the intersections leading to the Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard,” explained Mattar Al Tayer, the director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of RTA, speaking after visiting the site of the project, which starts from the intersection of Ras Al Khor Road and Al Khail Road.
“It will step up the capacity of the road to as many as 4,500 vehicles during peak hours, serve a host of development projects, and alleviate the pressure on the existing roads network,” he added.
The bridge consists of two lanes in one direction, for a distance of 1,270m, with width ranging from 11m to 15m. It is built on individual pillars and crosses the Dubai Water Canal. Project works also included lighting and the shifting of impacted infrastructure services, such as water, electricity, irrigation, drainage and communication lines.
According to Al Tayer, the existing roadworks will be widened by the addition of two lanes in a 480m-long sector, so as to ensure the smooth flow of traffic from the intersection of the Dubai-Al Ain Road at Al Khail Road, and along the Upper Deck of the Financial Centre Road. An entry point will also be provided to the parking terminal of the Dubai Mall expansion project.