Bus-lorry crash causes closure of Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khalifa Bridge

A collision between a lorry and a bus caused major traffic problems in Abu Dhabi on Thursday night as the bridge was closed for three hours in one direction.

ABU DHABI // A collision between a bus and a lorry on Sheikh Khalifa Bridge on Thursday night led to huge traffic tailbacks, as the bridge was closed temporarily.

The incident occurred about 7pm and traffic quickly tailed back as far as Abu Dhabi Mall. There were no reports of injuries or fatalities.

The bridge, at the start of Sheikh Khalifa Highway, was closed in the direction of Saadiyat Island until 10pm, residents said. The lorry was carrying large industrial tubes, a witness said, and the bus was chartered.

People who saw the aftermath of the crash described it as serious. Lesley, a British resident in Abu Dhabi, was driving towards Yas Island just after 7pm and passed the scene of the incident before the emergency services arrived.

“On the approach to the bridge I saw a group of about 20 cars with their hazard lights on, switching lanes to try to get past an accident,” she said. “As I got closer I noticed a big, open-bed lorry on the right hard shoulder with what appeared to be large rolls of tubing on it.

“There was some wreckage on the road behind the lorry. The bus was on the far left lane. The back end was fine but the right side was just a mess of twisted metal. There was also a spillage right across all lanes and debris everywhere. I managed to get through by driving through the glass and spillage.”

Canadian expatriate Fay Sherwood was travelling to the St Regis Hotel on Saadiyat Island to attend the hotel’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony at about 7.30pm. “It did not look like there were any people in either vehicle but there was glass shattered everywhere and the road was covered with fuel,” she said.

“It was strange, because we did not see it happen and yet there was no one there to direct traffic, nor emergency workers.”

Kacy Lee, a Canadian teacher, was returning to the city from Saadiyat when she passed the accident scene at about 8.30pm.

“I could see the black chartered bus and the crash looked really bad. The whole front windshield was crushed. Traffic was backed up till Abu Dhabi Mall,” she said, adding that a friend who was in the area at about 10pm said the bridge remained closed then.