to build world's longest arched bridge

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, Jan 30 (UNI) After boasting of having the tallest high rise in the world--Burj , the emirate would soon add another first in the form of world's longest arched bridge.

Work on the project, the sixth crossing over the Creek, would commence in March and is expected to be completed in four years at an estimated cost of three billion dirhams, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced yesterday.

The bridge, 1600 metres long and 64 metres wide, will comprise 12 lanes, 6 in each direction. In addition, the Green Line of Metro will run through the centre of the bridge (the dividing area between the two bridges). The giant arch will be 205 metres high and 667 metres long, Khaleej Times reported.

The bridge will link Al Jaddaf in Bur with the road separating the Lagoons and Festival City. The crossing would also provide entry and exit points for the Creek Island, on which Opera Building, a project of Sama , will be constructed.

The Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, Mattar Al Tayer, said the project, developed by a United States-based company, would be completed in six phases.

''The construction of the first phase would begin in March this year,'' pointed out the RTA Chairman.

The crossing would facilitate free traffic flow at all intersections and allow free navigation throughout the day as it would be 15 metres above the water surface.

The 50-metre-wide navigation corridor would enable movement of large yachts.