Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, New Gate for the Capital

Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Khalifa Bridge and the expressway linking Abu Dhabi island and Shahama District in the Dubai-Abu Dhabi highway were opened last night to the public.

General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, officially inaugurated the bridge on Saadiyat Island in a brief morning ceremony.

The bridge was named after President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in recognition of his vision towards propelling Abu Dhabi to become a leading global capital in accordance with the Vision 2030 mandate for the overall urban development of the emirate.

Motorists started using the 27-kilometre expressway last night.

The new route will cut travel time between Dubai and Abu Dhabi by at least 20 to 25 minutes.

The bridge as a new gateway into Abu Dhabi also offers a 15-minute journey from Abu Dhabi international airport to Saadiyat Island. It facilitates a five minute travel from Abu Dhabi city to the island which will have about 160,000 residents by 2018, upon completion of the residential, cultural and tourism projects. Abu Dhabi Government owned Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), is developing the island.

Shaikh Sultan Bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC, expressed his gratitude in the UAE's visionary leadership which has successfully driven Abu Dhabi's developments.

Bridge was built using-

-15,000 tons of asphalt,

-15,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel.

-More than 1,300 manpower

-A total of more than 7.5 million man hours

From Gulf News