Last bridge in Dubai’s World Trade Centre roundabout project to open on 30 October

Motorists in Dubai will see their travel time between Al Majlis Street and 2nd December Street slashed from six minutes to one minute when the final bridge of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project opens on Friday, 30 October.

The 1,000-metre, two-lane structure, which can handle about 3,000 vehicles per hour, is designed to ease congestion at one of Dubai’s busiest junctions where Sheikh Zayed Road meets surrounding commercial and residential areas.

Project completion

With this bridge opening, all major works on the more than 696-million-dirham project will be finished. The scheme comprises five bridges with a combined length of 5,000 metres, aimed at reducing bottlenecks, improving links between main road corridors and smoothing access to some of the emirate’s most frequented business destinations.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said the project follows the leadership’s instructions to upgrade road infrastructure and boost connectivity.

“The completion of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project is in line with the directives of the wise leadership to continue upgrading Dubai’s road infrastructure, improve traffic flow on Sheikh Zayed Road and enhance connectivity between the emirate’s leading economic and commercial centres,” Al Tayer said.

He added that the improvements would help the road network keep pace with the emirate’s expansion. “The project will also increase road network capacity to keep pace with Dubai’s rapid population, urban and economic growth, reinforce its global leadership in business, investment and tourism, and provide an integrated, sustainable mobility system that reinforce the emirate’s competitiveness, facilitates travel for residents and visitors, and enhances quality of life.”

Faster access to business hubs

The junction occupies a key position on Sheikh Zayed Road, channeling traffic towards major destinations such as the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). DWTC hosts large international exhibitions, conferences and trade events including GITEX, Arabian Travel Market and Gulfood, drawing many exhibitors and visitors. DIFC, meanwhile, is a principal financial hub for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Al Tayer said the project would improve connections between these business centres and surrounding neighbourhoods, where traffic volumes stay high all day. “The project will deliver a major improvement in traffic flow through free-flowing connections in multiple directions, stronger links between Sheikh Zayed Road and surrounding key streets, and a reduction in average delay at the intersection from 12 minutes to 90 seconds.”

The improvements are expected to benefit more than 500,000 residents and tourists. Areas served by the project include Zaa’beel, Al Satwa, Al Karama, Al Jafiliya and Al Mankhool, as well as nearby commercial and residential districts.

For motorists, the changes are meant to make journeys between these areas and major destinations more direct, while improving traffic distribution across the surrounding road network.

Bridge details and future project

The project has turned the former World Trade Centre Roundabout into an at-grade intersection, supported by five bridges that provide free-flowing connections. These include a 1,000-metre bridge linking Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street towards Deira, with a capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour.

Two bridges linking Sheikh Rashid Street with 2nd December Street provide two lanes in each direction, with a combined length of 2,000 metres and capacity for up to6,000 vehicles per hour. Another two bridges connecting Al Majlis Street with 2nd December Street also span a combined2,000 metres, with a capacity of about6,000 vehicles per hour.

The five bridges together will improve traffic movement between Sheikh Zayed Road, Deira, Jumeirah, Al Satwa and other surrounding areas.

Al Mustaqbal Street project to follow in 2027

The completed roundabout project is part of a wider programme to improve road capacity and connectivity around the World Trade Centre area.

Work continues on the Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project, scheduled for completion in2027. The scheme covers the corridor between Zaa’beel Palace Street and Financial Centre Street and includes bridges, tunnels and road widening.

The project includes three tunnels with a combined length of1,100 metres at the intersection of Al Mustaqbal Street and Trade Centre Street. It also features a400-metre, two-lane bridge serving traffic travelling from Dubai World Trade Centre towards the intersection of Zaa’beel Palace Street and Al Mustaqbal Street.

A3,500-metre section of Al Mustaqbal Street will be widened from three to four lanes in each direction. The wider programme also includes improved connections at Exhibition Street and Trade Centre Street, a pedestrian bridge on Al Sukook Street and upgrades to existing intersections.

According to the RTA, the improvements will increase Al Mustaqbal Street’s capacity by33 per cent, from9,000 to12,000 vehicles per hour.

The authority has also outlined reductions in journey times along the corridor, with one project description putting the current13-minute journey at six minutes after completion, while the detailed Al Mustaqbal Street section gives a reduction from eight minutes to three minutes and30 seconds.

Once completed, the two projects are expected to strengthen links between Sheikh Zayed Road and surrounding streets, improve access to key business and commercial destinations and increase the network’s ability to accommodate future traffic growth.