Bridge to no-where

At the start of our long weekend, we went to the quiet Al Bateen beach, which is on the west side of the island.

Behind Karen is the new Hodariyat Bridge. This is the UAE's largest cable-stay bridge, which links the Abu Dhabi city's western coastline to the Hodariyat Island. The 1.3 km-long bridge provides a 29m vertical clearance, and carries six lanes of traffic and two walk ways. The suspended bridge is the biggest of its kind in the UAE; its tall height means that ships are able to pass underneath it. More than 650 people and a total of 5 million man hours were dedicated to the timely completion of the bridge. Work began in October 2009 and was concluded in March 2012.

Unfortunately there is nothing on Hodariyat Island as you can see from the map.

The southern part of the island has been designated for housing for Emiratis, according to the Abu Dhabi Plan 2030. The northern part of Hudayriat Island will be developed by the Department of Presidential Affairs, which has not given details of its plans.