From 15 minutes to four: New Dubai roads making journeys dramatically faster

Dubai: Dubai has been building all year, and a good deal of it is now open and saving you time on the road.

Take the five projects with a published before and after figure, and by my count they account for approximately 37 minutes shaved off five separate journeys.

Ranked below by how much time each one actually saves.

1. Hessa Street

Completed: 19 April 2026 Time saved: 15 minutes down to four Capacity: Doubled, from 8,000 to 16,000 vehicles an hour in both directions

The largest saving realised so far this year, and the most awaited.

The project covered a 4.5-kilometre stretch between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, widening the street and the bridges at four intersections to four lanes in each direction. Those intersections are with Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Asayel Street, First Al Khail Street and Al Khail Road.

Eleven minutes off a single journey, and double the capacity to go with it.

Phase two is already under way, covering a further three kilometres from Al Khail Road to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. When that finishes, the RTA expects travel time across the extended corridor to fall from 24 minutes to five, and a direct link between the two roads to open up.

2. The Dubai Harbour bridge

Opened: In phases from June, completed July 2026 Time saved: 12 minutes down to three What it is: A 1,500-metre bridge, two lanes each direction, 6,000 vehicles an hour

It runs from Interchange 5 on Sheikh Zayed Road, near the American University in Dubai, through the intersection of Al Naseem Street and Al Falak Street, crosses King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Street, and connects to Dubai Harbour Street.

Traffic from Sheikh Zayed Road heading into Dubai Harbour, from both the Deira and Jebel Ali directions, opened first in June. The remaining movements, out of Dubai Harbour towards Al Naseem Street and the link to the King Salman junction, followed in July when the project completed.

Dubai Harbour sits between Palm Jumeirah and Bluewaters, holds the region's largest yacht marina, and is midway through a 1.5-kilometre expansion adding 24 residential towers and around 7,500 apartments.

The wider project also includes improvements at four intersections along the corridor.

3. Commercial Centre Roundabout

Opened: 9 May 2026 Time saved: Eight minutes down to two What it is: A 500-metre bridge

Handling outbound traffic from Al Bada'a towards 2nd of December Street, with direct links to Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Wasl Street.

The RTA says it improves access to Sheikh Zayed Road and distributes traffic more efficiently across the surrounding roads. Smaller than the others, and a genuine relief for anyone who has sat at that roundabout at six in the evening.

4. Al Qudra Street and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street

Opened: 9 August 2026 What it is: A 700-metre, four-lane bridge, 6,000 vehicles an hour Time saved: Waiting time to fall 85 per cent on full completion, from nearly seven minutes to one

One of two structures the RTA opened in the same weekend.

The bridge sits on the southern side of the intersection and serves traffic on Al Qudra Road heading towards Al Qudra City, completing the main traffic configuration after the opposite bridge opened in February.

The 85 per cent applies to the intersection once the whole scheme is finished rather than to this bridge alone. Side ramp bridges follow in the fourth quarter: a 500-metre structure carrying traffic towards Jebel Ali, and a 900-metre one serving Downtown Dubai and Dubai International Airport, alongside three kilometres of service roads.

Overall capacity at the intersection rises from 7,800 vehicles an hour to 19,400.

The wider Al Qudra Road Development Project runs from Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Emirates Road, taking in 4,000 metres of bridges and an 11.6-kilometre upgrade of the road itself.

On completion the RTA expects corridor journey times to fall 70 per cent, from 9.4 minutes to 2.8. It serves Arabian Ranches 1 and 2, Dubai Motor City, Dubai Studio City, DAMAC Hills, Mudon and The Sustainable City, an area with more than 400,000 residents and visitors.

5. World Trade Centre Roundabout, third bridge

Opened: June 2026 Time saved: Six minutes down to one What it is: A one-kilometre, two-lane bridge, 3,000 vehicles an hour

Channelling traffic from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, easing access to Al Karama and Deira.

Al Tayer has described the scheme as one of Dubai's most strategically significant intersection upgrades to date.

The roundabout sits where five arterial roads converge: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Street, 2nd December Street, Zabeel Palace Street and Al Majlis Street.

This was the third of five bridges. The first two opened in February, serving traffic from 2nd December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street. The final two are due in October, after which the roundabout disappears entirely, replaced by a signal-controlled intersection.

The bigger number is still to come. Once the full scheme is finished, the RTA expects delays through the area to fall from 12 minutes to around 90 seconds. Construction has passed 60 per cent and is running ahead of schedule.

6. Oud Metha Road and Al Asayel Street

Bridge opened: 26 July 2026 Tunnel opened: 8 August 2026 Time saved on completion: 20 minutes down to five, a 75 per cent cut

This is the one about to top the list.

Fifteen minutes off a single journey is more than Hessa Street managed, but it does not arrive until the scheme finishes, which the RTA expects by the end of August.

The three-lane bridge opened first, carrying up to 3,600 vehicles an hour from Al Khail Road to Al Asayel Street via Al Wasl Club Street, bypassing one of the corridor's busiest intersections.

The tunnel followed a fortnight later, on the same weekend as the Al Qudra bridge. At 260 metres with a single lane, it connects Dubai-Al Ain Road with Oud Metha Service Road and handles up to 1,200 vehicles an hour. Its purpose is narrower than the bridge's: the RTA says it is designed to reduce traffic overlap and weaving where the two roads meet, the sort of pinch point that causes disproportionate delay for its size.

One more tunnel and a left-turn bridge remain, both due this month. The scheme is around 90 per cent complete and covers four major intersections, 4.3 kilometres of bridges and tunnels, and 14 kilometres of road.

On completion, Oud Metha Street's capacity rises 50 per cent, from 10,400 vehicles an hour to 15,600 in both directions. It forms part of the wider Sheikh Rashid Corridor Development Project and serves Zabeel, Al Jaddaf, Oud Metha and Umm Hurair, along with Latifa Hospital and Al Wasl Club, an area expected to exceed 420,000 residents by 2030.

7. Ras Al Khor Road and Al Khail Road

Completed: 28 July 2026 Time saved: Up to three minutes, with traffic flow improved 20 per cent

A package of what the RTA calls rapid traffic solutions on two of the emirate's busiest corridors, aimed at existing pinch points rather than adding new structures.

A new lane runs on Ras Al Khor Road towards Al Khail Road, from the Financial Centre Road junction to southbound Al Khail Road. The exit from Financial Centre Road towards Meydan has been upgraded, along with the entry from Ras Al Khor Road.

Separately, a new lane on Al Khail Road in the Abu Dhabi direction has raised that road's capacity by 33 per cent and cut peak travel time by 20 per cent.

8. Latifa bint Hamdan Street

Announced: 4 August 2026 Congestion cut: Up to 30 per cent at peak times Capacity: Service road up from 600 to 1,000 vehicles an hour

The RTA added a single new lane across two sections of the street's service road, running a combined kilometre. The first goes from the Al Asayel Street intersection to Street 44, the second from the National Cement Factory to the First Al Khail Street exit. Two new U-turns were built beneath the Latifa bint Hamdan and Al Asayel Street intersection.

That is one lane and two U-turns. The result is a service road carrying two thirds more traffic and peak queues down by up to 30 per cent.

What is still coming

The second Oud Metha tunnel and a left-turn bridge, both this month. Two more World Trade Centre Roundabout bridges in October. Al Qudra's side ramps in the fourth quarter. Hessa Street phase two.

And larger than any of it, the Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project is expected to cut journeys along its 13-kilometre route from 104 minutes to 16 by 2030, with its Al Khaleej Street Tunnel passing 80 per cent completion in May.

Further out sits the Dh2 billion Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor, a 12-kilometre route linking six roads: Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Al Meydan Street, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street and Emirates Road.

It carries the largest number in any of this. Travel between Umm Al Sheif Street and Emirates Road should fall 54 per cent, from 33 minutes to 15. The corridor takes in seven bridges spanning 2.3 kilometres, eight tunnels covering 900 metres, 12.5 kilometres of cycling track between Al Qudra and Jumeirah, and a 12 per cent increase in the capacity of Dubai's east-west network.

Due by the end of 2028, it is expected to serve more than 650,000 residents and visitors and carry over 130,000 vehicle trips a day.