Dubai's Hessa Street upgrade: When will motorists see traffic relief?

Dubai: Motorists travelling along Dubai's busy Hessa Street corridor could see peak-hour journey times drop from 24 minutes to just five minutes once the second phase of the major road development project is completed.

Following the completion of Phase 1 in April 2026, Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) told Gulf News that 10.33 per cent of Phase 2 had been completed as of October 2026, with construction progressing according to schedule.

The project will double road capacity, introduce new bridges and an underpass, and improve access to more than 10 residential and commercial communities between Al Khail Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.

RTA also confirmed that the project will open in stages, allowing motorists to benefit from completed sections while construction continues elsewhere along the corridor.

Hessa Street Phase 2 construction progress

According to RTA, work on the second phase began on December 1, 2025, and is progressing in line with the approved construction programme.

Construction is currently focused on three major areas - relocating and diverting existing utility services, road construction and building bridges across key sections of the corridor.

As work progresses, the next stages will include major structural works, upgrades to intersections, road widening, construction of an underpass and the development of dedicated cycling infrastructure.

The project will also involve the installation and integration of traffic management systems to improve traffic flow across the upgraded road network.

Travel time to drop from 24 minutes to five minutes

One of the biggest improvements expected from Phase 2 is a significant reduction in travel times during peak hours.

According to RTA, the development will reduce average journey times along the corridor by 79 per cent, from 24 minutes to five minutes.

The project will also double the road's capacity from 4,000 vehicles per hour to 8,000 vehicles per hour, helping ease congestion along one of Dubai's busiest east-west routes.

The improvements are expected to benefit motorists travelling between Al Khail Road and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, while also improving traffic distribution across surrounding roads.

What will change on Hessa Street?

The second phase involves extensive upgrades to the existing road network, including:

• Five major intersections will be upgraded to improve traffic movement.

• Four lanes in each direction will be provided through the widening of Hessa Street.

• 8,835 metres of bridges will be constructed along key sections of the corridor.

• A 408-metre underpass will be built to improve connectivity and reduce traffic bottlenecks.

• A 9.1-kilometre dedicated cycling track will be developed to support alternative transport options.

• More than 10 communities will benefit from improved road access and connectivity.

Beyond reducing journey times, the upgrades are designed to improve access to residential neighbourhoods, schools, healthcare facilities and commercial destinations along the corridor.

When will Hessa Street Phase 2 open?

Rather than waiting for the entire project to be completed, RTA plans to introduce the upgraded road sections through a staged opening strategy.

This means motorists will be able to use completed sections of the road before construction finishes across the full corridor.

According to RTA, the approach will allow traffic improvements to be introduced progressively, helping ease congestion while work continues on the remaining sections.

However, RTA has not provided a specific completion date or confirmed when the first upgraded section will open.