The Dubai
Smile is the nickname given to a what will become, upon completion, the seventh
crossing across the Dubai Creek. It will
replace the temporary Floating Bridge, and will cost about Dhs810 million. The
Smile consists of 12 lanes (6 lanes in each direction) and a footpath in each
direction. The width of the bridge is about 61.6 m and the arch rises 100 m. The
bridge can accommodate around 24,000 vehicles per hour, it shall rise 15 m
above the water level of the Creek, and width of the waterway is 400 m. On the Bur Dubai side the bridge would also
connect with a new underpass near Rashid
Hospital, while on the
Deira side the bridge would be linked with Al Ittihad Road for motorists travelling
to Sharjah. The project is expected to
be completed by 2012. However it was
announced on November 6, 2009 that The Floating Bridge which was supposed to be
replaced by Dubai smile will stay till 2014.