Dubai's RTA awards contract for pedestrian bridges

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said on Saturday it had awarded a AED45m ($12.2m) contract for the construction of 13 footbridges in Dubai. The contract will be completed within eight months and will bring the total number of pedestrian overpasses from 74 to 87, including the 34 footbridges of the metro stations. The RTA, which did not give the name of the contract winner, said the deal was part of its strategy to improve safety for pedestrians across the emirate. Mattar Al Tayer, chairman and executive director of the RTA, said: "The construction of footbridges marks RTA's efforts to provide safe transit means for pedestrians crossing streets, and the new footbridges will be constructed at a number of locations in the light of traffic studies." Locations include across Al Mina Street (near Dubai Ports & Customs), Sheikh Rashid Street (near Deira City Centre), Umm Suqeim Street (near Mall of the Emirates), Al Wuhaida Street, Amman Street (near Lulu Village), Latifa bint Hamdan Street (near Gulf Centre), Al Mankhool Street, Al Rasheed Street (near Jesco Supermarket), Abu Baker Al Siddique Street (near Al Qabael Centre), Al Khaleej Street (near Deira Palm Metro Station), and Jebel Ali Industrial Area Street. "The RTA attaches paramount importance to roads traffic safety," Al Tayer said, adding that traffic fatalities had fallen from 145 cases in 2007 to 43 last year.