RTA awards contract to construct 4 air-conditioned pedestrian
bridges for Dubai Tram
Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed
Al Munji:
The Board of Directors of the Roads
and Transport Authority (RTA), chaired by H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the
Board and Executive Director, endorsed the award of a contract to construct 4
covered & air-conditioned footbridges for Dubai Tram users. Two bridges
will be constructed over Al Safouh Street to serve tram users and residents at
both sides of the Street, and the other two will link Tecom zone with the
locality in the opposite side of the street as well as the Dubai Marina Mall,
thus providing safe transit means for street crossing in those busy areas.
“The construction of new projects
stems from RTA’s keenness on improving and upgrading main roads network in
Dubai city, maintaining the safety of pedestrians, linking business and
residential neighbourhood, and minimizing run-over accidents. All of these new
bridges will be covered, air-conditioned and fitted with electric elevators/escalators.
They also boast of architectural design patterns compatible with the
eye-catching designs of the tram coaches and stations as well as the urban
appearance of residential units at the locality. Attention has also been made
to offering high levels of convenience to users through the installation of
lifts and slipways for wheelchairs users among special needs and seniors,” said
Al Tayer.
“The RTA assigns paramount attention
to road users, particularly pedestrians, and is keen on providing safe transit
means for them while crossing roads. Positioning the bridges was guided on
traffic studies built on the intensity of population movement between the two
sides of the street, locations of corporate & retail facilities, and sites
that saw increasing number of run-over accidents (black points).
“The RTA has so far constructed 94
pedestrian bridges, including footbridges of the Dubai Metro stations. Work is
up-and-running in the construction of 11 bridges, 7 of which have been opened
and the remaining 4 are set for opening as early as next month. According to
its master plan for pedestrian bridges and traffic safety, the RTA will release
a tender for constructing 7 pedestrian bridges this year,” added Al Tayer.
It is worth-mentioning that the RTA
has approved last year a plan for constructing 17 pedestrian bridges in 2013 –
2016 spanning various vital locations in Dubai Emirate. In the initial stage
(2013 – 2014), 9 bridges will be constructed costing about 45 million dirham.
Bridges spread over a number of vital areas, namely: two footbridges at Bani
Yas Road (one near the building of the Dubai Municipality), and a bridge at
each of Damascus Road (near the Public Library), Al Mina Road, Baghdad Road, Al
Maktoum Road, Al Khawaneej Road (near Arabian Center), Al Khail Road (near Al
Qouz Industrial Area), and a bridge near Emirates Towers.
In the second phase (2015 – 2016), 8
footbridges will be constructed in several key locations, namely: two bridges
at Al Awir Road, and one bridge at each of Amman, Meydan, Damascus, Al
Khawaneej, Al Quds and Doha Roads. Among the bridges recently completed by the
RTA is a pedestrian bridge over Al Saada Street opposite to the Dubai World
Trade Center (Conventions Center), spanning 92 meters and fitted with two lifts
at each side in order to handle the huge number of visitors of the Center. Two
bridges have also been completed; the first is over the Sheikh Mohammed bin
Zayed Road (near the Fruits & Vegetables Market at Al Awir) stretching 100
meters, and the second is near Workers Accommodation at Muhaisnah spanning 86
km.
RTA Chairman of the Board and
Executive Director called on citizens and residents of Dubai to use footbridges
& subways designated for crossing roads, and urged drivers to abide by the
speed limits and slowdown at the approaches of pedestrian crossings for their
own safety and the safety of road users.
Captions:
-
Mattar Al Tayer
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Pedestrian bridges serving Dubai Tram stations
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