Widened Maktoum Bridge to ease congestion

DUBAI — Motorists had an easy ride on the Maktoum Bridge yesterday with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opening the newly widened bridge for traffic. According to senior RTA officials, widening of the bridge was part of integrated projects aimed at increasing the number of crossings over the Dubai Creek. The Maktoum Bridge witnesses a traffic volume of around 250,000 vehicles per day at a rate of 9,500 vehicles per hour during peak hours. “Projects associated with these vital crossings aim at easing traffic congestion, enhancing traffic flow on both directions and linking the two parts of Dubai. This will also contribute to matching the urban development requirements and the demographic growth in the emirate,” said Maitha bin Adai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency of the RTA. Bin Adai said the improvements made on the Al Maktoum Bridge on the Bur Dubai side included widening of roads leading to the bridge at Umm Harir Road from two to three lanes. This is bound to increase the capacity of the bridge and ease congestion of outbound traffic from Shaikh Zayed Road towards Deira. Roads leading to the bridge from the Deira area have also been widened. “Improvement works and widening of the bridge, including the movable section, covered increasing the number of lanes from Deira to Bur Dubai from four to six lanes along the bridge. This has been done through utilising the existing space between the movable parts of the bridge, which would help increase the capacity of the bridge by 50 per cent and enhance safety,” she said. The commuters appeared happy at the opening of the new lanes yesterday. “The completion of any of the RTA projects spells relief for us. It was a pleasant ride for us as the bridge was free from traffic snarls,” said a daily commuter.