Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has appointed US-based Parsons International as the engineering consultant for the Shindagha corridor scheme.

The US firm will complete the preliminary concept and design, prepare tender documentation and supervise the construction of the project, which includes a signature bridge across the entrance to the Dubai Creek, a 12 lane expressway and various intersections in Deira and Bur Dubai. Parsons will also conduct an evaluation of the existing Shindagha tunnel.

The project is the largest new road scheme to move ahead in Dubai. Since 2009 the emirate has not moved forward with a major new road project as it concentrated on completing projects that started before the financial crisis in late 2008.

A new Shindagha crossing has been designed before. In 2006, the RTA appointed Canada’s Cansult, now part of the US’ Aecom, to design two bridges crossing the creek, including one at Shindagha.

The RTA was planning to move forward with the construction of the new Ittihad Bridge, which will replace the existing Floating Bridge. It received expressions of interest (EoIs) from contractors last year and was due to hold a pre-bid meeting in January this year, but the meeting was cancelled.

The 2.7-kilometre-long crossing will be 22-52 metres wide and will extend beyond Al-Riyadh Road on the Bur Dubai side of the creek, and up to the Dubai-Sharjah Road on the Deira side. The main creek crossing will be a 420-metre-long span supporting 12 lanes of traffic. The bridge will be built in segments and will have a decorative steel arch. The consultant is the US’ Parsons.

In 2013, the RTA appointed Parsons to prepare plans for future road and transport projects in Dubai’s central business district, from the Sharjah border in the north to Port Rashid in the south and inland as far as Ras al-Khor.

That planning study incorporated four new creek crossings. These will comprise the sixth crossing, the Sheraton bridge, a permanent structure to replace the existing Floating Bridge, and a new crossing in the Shindagha area. The study will also consider introducing new Salik toll gates to ease congestion in the area.

Another major road scheme that has also been considered by the RTA is the double-decking of Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. MEED reported in April that shortlisted consultants are still waiting to be informed of the results for the design competition, more than one year after proposals were submitted to the RTA.