Four new pedestrian bridges open in Sharjah

Sharjah: The Sharjah Urban Planning Council on Wednesday inaugurated four footbridges on King Faisal Street, King Abdul Aziz Street, Al Ittihad Street and Al Nahda Road at a total cost of Dh100 million.

The locations of the bridges were chosen based on several traffic studies, which took into account the traffic and pedestrian flows and pedestrian-related accidents in those areas.

The bridges were set up at strategic points, combining establishments, trade centres and markets.

The pedestrian bridges on King Faisal Street, King Abdul Aziz Street and Al Ittihad Street were made of steel structures and designed in line with the unique architectural nature of the emirate. These bridges come equipped with lifts, staircases and ramps to serve old people and people of determination.

The King Faisal Street bridge is 49 metres long and four metres wide and connects Abu Shagara with Al Majaz 1, while the King Abdul Aziz Street bridge is 49 metres long and four metres wide and connects Bu Daniq with Abu Shagara.

Key areas

The Al Ittihad Street bridge is 295 metres long and four metres wide and connects Al Nahda with Al Taawun, while the Al Nahda Road bridge is 64 metres long and four metres wide and connects both parts of Al Nahda.

According to recent statistics provided by Sharjah Police, the areas where these four bridges are located witnessed a high rate of run-over accidents over the last six months.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Alay Al Naqbi, director of the Traffic and Patrol Department at Sharjah Police, had earlier said that 180 accidents were recorded in the emirate during the first six months of this year, compared to 286 over the same period last year.

As of July 2020, the number of traffic-related deaths stood at 26, compared to 46 in the first half of 2019.