Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec) is erecting a new bridge which will connect the exhibition facilities with the new marina zone.

The work will be completed in time for this month’s International Defence Exhibition and Conference (Idex 2009), where it will play an integral part in the exhibition by providing pedestrian access to the naval displays.
The bridge, which has been fabricated from 600 tonnes of steel and 132 glazed panels, will be 162 m long and will span all eight lanes of the Khaleej Al Arabi Coast Road adjacent to the exhibition centre. The structure was designed by internationally renowned architect Dissing & Weitling and built by specialist Austrian bridge engineering company Waagner Biro.
By linking the marina zone to the exhibition, Adnec is providing a truly integrated site, which will allow for indoor, outdoor and marina exhibitions. In addition, Adnec is also providing a genuine improvement to the city by making the marina zone fully accessible to pedestrians.
The marina zone has seen eight months of intensive major development, including the construction of a 350-m quay wall and the dredging of the local sea channel to a depth of 6 m. This will enable visiting ships to dock outside the exhibition centre for the show; previously these had to dock 20 km away at Port Zayed.
A contra-flow will be set up on Khaleej Al Arabi Road (30th Street) during the bridge construction and subsequently to enable the creation of outside demonstration area.
Idex 2009 takes place at Adnec from February 22 to 26.