39 new footbridges, crossings at traffic signals in Capital by 2019

abu dhabi — Bolstering pedestrian safety in the Capital, the Abu Dhabi Police (ADP) have unveiled a plan for the construction of 39 new footbridges and crossings at various traffic signals, along with heightened monitoring of these areas.

Seven of these pedestrian bridges and lanes have already been completed while 19 are under construction and will be operational soon, according to a paper presented by Abdullah Hamed Al Manhali from the Abu Dhabi Traffic and Patrols Directorate. Titled ‘Road Engineering and its Role in Reducing Road Mortality’, the paper was presented at the International Symposium on Road Engineering and Traffic Safety last week.

The remaining 13 are in the pipeline and will be built in 2019.

Al Manhali said the engineering department had also seen the completion

of 50 projects for road improvement and expansion and intersections across the emirate. Twenty-two construction projects are under way and 27 others will be implemented next year, he added.

“Among the road improvement and expansion projects is the construction of a 126-km road pedestrian fence and 23 pedestrian walls out of the 43 walls planned. The remaining 20 pedestrian walls are still under construction and will be completed by the end of this year,” said Al Manhali.

The official said that aside from the safety infrastructure, traffic patrol officers’ monitoring of roads and crossings had also helped in reducing major road accidents in the emirate.

According to figures released by traffic authorities, road deaths in Abu Dhabi dropped from 289 deaths in 2016 to 199 deaths in 2017, showing a decrease of 31 per cent.