Timeframe: When Sheikh Mohammed inaugurated the Dubai Canal in 2016

The 3.2km-long waterway connects the Dubai Creek in Business Bay to the Arabian Gulf

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, at the canal's opening ceremony, November 2016. Photo: Wam

With the push of a button, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, inaugurated the Dubai Canal on the evening of November 9, 2016. With the opening of the Dh3.7 billion waterway connecting Dubai Creek with the Arabian Gulf, Sheikh Mohammed also realised the dream of his father, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed.

Indeed, it was Sheikh Rashid, who became Ruler in 1958, and whose vision it was to deepen Dubai Creek, that set the emirate on course as a global centre of trade and commerce.

First announced in 2013, the 3.2km-long Dubai Canal extends the Dubai Creek from Business Bay underneath Sheikh Zayed Road, through Safa Park and Jumeirah and onto the Arabian Gulf. The plans by developer Dubai Holding included a 12km promenade with water homes, floating restaurants, shops and five marinas lined with palm trees. The project also featured the first purpose-built yachting destination in the region and other leisure and entertainment. Residential units would be built on water with boat access and offer views of the canal.

Traffic diversion work on Sheikh Zayed Road in the Dubai-Abu Dhabi direction near Safa Park began in 2014, with the construction of the Dubai Canal split into three phases. The first phase included the construction of the bridge across the canal on Sheikh Zayed Road. Rising eight metres to allow free navigation of the canal, the bridge consists of eight lanes in each direction.

The second phase included the construction of bridges across the canal on Jumeirah and Al Wasl roads spanning three lanes on Jumeirah Road and two lanes on Al Wasl Road in each direction, in addition to a flyover from Al Wasl Road to Al Hadiqa Road in the direction of Sheikh Zayed Road.

The final phase included the drilling of the canal, landfilling works and the construction of a sea wall to prepare a sand beach, building a marina for boats and water buses and the construction of three landmark pedestrian bridges above the canal.

The first pedestrian bridge, which is 122 metres long and six metres wide, is supported by two 90-tonne forked antennas, which were installed inside the canal before it was flooded. The second bridge is S-shaped and extends 205 metres and is suspended by a 1,700-tonne arch and steel cables. The third, a 140-metre-long and 3.5-metre-wide bridge, features a twisted structure. The design is meant to protect pedestrians from the sun while still giving them striking views of the Dubai skyline.

In 2017, on International Day of Tolerance on November 16, Sheikh Mohammed announced that the S-shape pedestrian bridge has been named Tolerance Bridge.

"Tolerance is synonymous with the UAE," said Sheikh Mohammed. "It is a fundamental value of our people and an essential element for our development and prosperity in the future."

The twisting Dubai Water Canal Bridge was named one of the most beautiful bridges in the world by Conde Nast Traveller in 2021. The magazine put the unique footbridge alongside other eye-catching bridges, such as California's Golden Gate Bridge and the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland, and said the unusual twisting design "evokes the movement and motion when crossing from one bank to the other".

The designers of the bridge said it is representative of the "future and the dynamic vision of Dubai". At the opening of the Dubai Canal a year earlier, Sheikh Mohammed praised the implementation of the project and said the UAE aspires to rank among the world’s leading nations.

"Every achievement and success that we celebrate motivates us to move ahead with confidence, determination and optimism. We are challenging ourselves to generate the best ideas and initiatives,” he said at an event at a peninsula near Jumeirah Beach Park. "Our progressive way of thinking, ambition and positive energy will bring happiness to the people and prosperity to the nation.”