Al Garhoud Bridge is one of the four bridges across Dubai Creek, and one of the five ways to cross it — besides the bridges, there is also an underwater tunnel. Formally, Al Garhoud was opened in 2008, but in fact it is a completely rebuilt old bridge that was originally constructed back in 1976.
The reason for building the new crossing was the increasing traffic — up to 9000 cars per hour as of 2007. This led to constant traffic jams and congestion on the city’s main highways. From the Bur Dubai district, seven major roads approach the bridge, which previously narrowed down to just three lanes. And from the Deira district, five roads lead here, which also used to turn into three lanes.
The construction of the new bridge cost Dubai more than 50 million US dollars, but in the end the city got a crossing over the creek with 14 lanes — seven in each direction. The capacity of this section increased to 16000 cars per hour.
After construction was completed, the bridge was decorated so that during the day it resembles sandy dunes, and at night the lighting turns it into large and beautiful waves.
