Five ways Dubai's RTA is reducing traffic congestion: From Hessa Street to Sheikh Zayed Road

Dubai: If you have been driving on Dubai's busiest roads, such as Hessa Street, Al Khail Road, or Sheikh Rashid Road, and noticed smoother traffic flow and faster travel times, it's thanks to the new bridges developed by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Many of these bridges are part of large-scale road improvement projects already underway, while others, like the upcoming Trade Centre Roundabout development, are set to begin construction soon. Here are the latest bridges developed by RTA and how they will reduce traffic.

1. New bridge linking Hessa Street to Al Khail Road

The latest development from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is a new 1km bridge at the intersection of Hessa Street and Al Khail Road. Opened on December 22, the bridge significantly reduces travel time between the two streets from 15 minutes to just three minutes.

This bridge is part of the broader Hessa Street development project. According to the RTA, 54 per cent of the project, which includes upgrades to four major intersections, has been completed. The development is expected to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2025.

2. Three-lane bridge to ease traffic flow from Sheikh Rashid Road to Infinity Bridge

On December 8, RTA announced the opening of a three-lane bridge linking Sheikh Rashid Road to Infinity Bridge.

This project is part of the Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project which includes the construction of three bridges and several road upgrades. The aim is to reduce traffic congestion from Sheikh Rashid Road in Bur Dubai to Al Mina Road, Al Khaleej Street, and Cairo Street in Mamzar.

3. Garn Al Sabkha Street Intersection gets two new bridges

Two new bridges have opened as part of the Garn Al Sabkha-Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road Intersection Improvement Project:

• First bridge: A two-lane structure facilitating traffic from Garn Al Sabkha Street to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, with connections towards Al Qusais and Deira.

• Second bridge: Another two-lane bridge designed to eliminate overlapping traffic from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road heading to Al Yalayis Street and Jebel Ali Port.

These bridges reduce the distance and travel time from Garn Al Sabkha Street to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road by 40 per cent, cutting travel time during peak hours from 20 minutes to 12 minutes.

Additionally, the travel time for motorists travelling from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Al Yalayis Street towards Jebel Ali Port has reduced by 70 percent, from 21 minutes to seven minutes.

4. Major bridges open on Al Khail Road at Zaa’beel and Al Quoz 1

Two major bridges were introduced on Al Khail Road in September. These bridges are part of the Al Khail Road Development Project, which involves the construction of five bridges in total.

• Zaa’beel Bridge: Connects Zaa’beel Palace Street and Oud Metha Street to Al Khail Road towards Jebel Ali.

• Al Quoz 1 bridge: Links traffic from Al Meydan Street to Al Khail Road towards Jebel Ali.

These improvements aim to reduce travel time by 30 per cent across seven sites on Al Khail Road, including Al Jaddaf, Business Bay, Zaa’beel, Meydan, Al Quoz 1, Ghadir Al Tair, and Jumeirah Village Circle.

5. Trade Centre Roundabout transformation

The Trade Centre Roundabout, one of Dubai’s oldest landmarks, is undergoing a major upgrade. In October, the RTA announced a major development project to improve traffic flow in the area, particularly for visitors to the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). The project involves converting the existing roundabout into a surface intersection and constructing five new bridges.

The roundabout connects Sheikh Zayed Road with five main streets: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Street, 2nd December Street, Zabeel Palace Street, and Al Mustaqbal Street.

The new bridges will improve traffic flow in several directions, including:

• Inbound traffic from Sheikh Zayed Road to 2nd December Street, traffic from Al Mustaqbal Street to Sheikh Zayed Road.

• Traffic from 2nd December Street to Al Majles Street leading to Al Mustaqbal Street

• Traffic from Sheikh Rashid Street to Deira.

• Smooth traffic flow on the upper-level bridge from Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street.

This project will significantly reduce travel time in the area, cutting the delay time from 12 minutes to 90 seconds and shortening the travel time from Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street from six minutes to just one minute.