Dubai: A senior police official said overloading was the probable cause of a crane collapsing on a gantry on Shaikh Zayed Road on Sunday morning.
A mast of a crane belonging to a Dubai Metro contractor fell on a gantry at 4.30am on Sunday, throwing the morning rush hour traffic out of gear and leaving many motorists stuck for hours.
Police said some accidents on alternative routes such as Al Khail Road aggravated the traffic situation.
The road was reopened at around 12.30pm, after eight hours of closure.
Lieutenant Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Acting Deputy Director of Dubai Police's Traffic Department who was present at the scene, said: "Overloading could be the probable reason the crane collapsed, but the actual reason will be determined only after investigations are complete."
According to a statement issued by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), they have begun their investigations to uncover the cause of the incident, but did not speculate at this stage.
Motorists across the city faced long traffic jams on almost all roads, especially Shaikh Zayed Road, which was closed in the face of flowing traffic towards Dubai.
According to the statement, the crane which was working on the Dubai Metro track near Emirates Towers fell onto a gantry. Due to the immense size of the crane, RTA used special electrical devices to cut its mast into pieces to enable it to be lifted.
Re-routed
As soon as the incident took place, the RTA Emergency Team took to the site, and with the support of the Dubai Police patrols, traffic was diverted to Al Khail and Al Wasl roads.
Police patrols directed motorists inbound from Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali to use the Al Safa Interchange to reach Al Khail Road to the east or Al Wasl Road to the west.
Motorists driving toward the first Interchange of Shaikh Zayed Road were diverted to the Business Bay Road to the east or Al Wasl Road to the west.
Abdul Majeed Al Khaja, CEO of RTA's Rail Agency, said the RTA in conjunction with Dubai Police, closed the section between the First Interchange (previously known as the Defence Roundabout) to the Trade Centre Roundabout.
He said the step was intended to prevent inbound traffic from Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali from commuting in that direction as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of road users.
The Variable Message Signs (VMS) erected at various roads were utilised to provide messages directing motorists to alternative roads.
Al Khaja said said the focus at the time of the incident was mainly to lift the crane and clear the site.
"All equipments used in the project are subject to initial tests by security and safety units of both the consultant and the contractor of the project before NOCs are issued for their deployment on site.
"All operators are also accredited and certified to use this machinery," he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, Acting Deputy Director of Dubai Police's Traffic Department, said the incident caused traffic tailbacks on Shaikh Zayed Road for motorists heading toward Deira through the World Trade Centre Tunnel for three hours.
Timeline: Major crane accidents
September 24, 2008: An Asian worker was killed and two others injured when the crane-truck they were travelling in crashed and rolled over near the major tunnel on the road linking Sharjah and Wadi Al Hilow Road near Kalba.
August 8: A 27-year-old Indian worker fell from the eighth-floor of a high-rise building under construction and died under concrete blocks which fell on him from a crane on Oman Street in Al Nakheel area in Ras Al Khaimah.
April 23: Three Asian workers died after they fell from the 10th floor of building under construction on the King Faisal Street in Sharjah. They were standing on a scaffolding to receive construction materials delivered by a crane, the crane hit the scaffolding and the workers fell to the ground.
December 3, 2007: A 32-year-old Indian worker was seriously injured after an overloaded crane carrying heavy iron rods hit a portion of a bridge under construction in Dubai. The bridge collapsed, killing seven and injuring 19 others.
November 9: Seven workers died and 19 were injured when a crane carrying steel frames hit a portion of a wall near a bridge under construction in Dubai.
October 23: A tower crane collapsed and killed two Indian workers on the spot at a construction site located next to the Millennium Hotel in Buhaira Corniche, Sharjah.
May 9: A 28-year-old Indian worker died when he was carrying out maintenance work on a crane when a part of it fell on him in the Al Aweer Industrial area.
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