Motorists were in a buoyant mood yesterday as Dubai's latest Creek crossing, the floating bridge, eased their journey to work.
The six-lane, Dh81.5 million bridge opened for the first time at 6am and was generally welcomed. It is built of hollow concrete blocks that float on water and can be opened to let boats pass.
Traffic flow on nearby Al Maktoum Bridge was notice ably better than previously as the new crossing eased congestion. Al Maktoum Bridge saw an increase in vehicle numbers following the launch of the Salik road toll system as people used it to avoid the Al Garhoud Bridge pay point. Motorists reported that Shindagha Tunnel was also less busy than normal during peak hours yesterday.
"Al Maktoum Bridge was very free compared to other days," said Josephine Rosel, 28, from the Philippines.
"The situation has definitely improved from the difficul ties there were following the introduction of Salik.
"Many people are still not aware of the new bridge and as soon as more people start using it, the situation will hopefully be better still." Indian lawyer Shamasuddin Karunagapalli, 43, said he managed to reach Al Qusais from Dubai Courts in just 10 minutes using the new floating bridge.
"It's great," he said. "My travel time has been greatly reduced - I usually take 30 minutes to reach Al Qusais. I saw the signboard to the bridge but was quite hesitant to use it. But it was practically empty with a smooth traffic flow." The floating bridge looked deserted until 10am and traffic picked up only later as word spread that it had opened. Some motorists said they learned of the opening from roadside signs while others were unaware of it until they approached their usual crossing - Al Maktoum Bridge.
And some drivers said they encountered jams after crossing the Roads and Transport Authority's new bridge.
Indian Gopal Srinivasan, 40, said he was stuck for 45 minutes in a bottleneck near Deira City Centre.
"The floating bridge's approach roads and the exits leading to Sharjah and Deira have to be improved," he said.
The bridge is the first of its type in the region.
It stretches from Deira City Centre to Riyadh Street between Dubai Courts and Creek Park and can accommodate about 6,000 vehicles during peak periods.
It is open from 6am to 10pm daily.
By Joseph George
© Emirates Today 2007
