Watch: No more traffic jams on Al Khail Road, one of Dubai’s busiest highways

Dubai: Driving on Al Khail Road, one of Dubai’s busiest highways, is a now a breeze with major road improvement work.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Monday announced to complete all phases of Al Khail Road Development Project, which included the construction of five bridges spanning 3,300 metres and road widening over 6,820 metres.

These improvements are spread across seven locations along Al Khail Road, namely Al Jaddaf, Business Bay, Zabeel, Meydan, Al Quoz 1, Ghadeer Al Tair, and Jumeirah Village Circle.

The project serves 1.5 million people and contributes to a 30% reduction in travel time while increasing the capacity of existing intersections and bridges to accommodate around 19,600 vehicles per hour. It also enhances traffic flow on Al Khail Road, resolves traffic overlapping at interchanges, and ensures free-flowing traffic.

New approach

RTA adopted a new approach to accelerate construction, reducing the construction period from 18 months to 9 months — an 50% reduction — by awarding contracts to multiple companies. As a result, the daily workforce of 5,000 engineers and labourers was deployed, logging six million work hours, and using 650 machines and equipment daily.

Road Network Development

Al Khail Road Development Project is one of the key strategic projects aimed at upgrading parallel and supporting road corridors to Sheikh Zayed Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and Emirates Road. It is also one of the primary arterial roads in Dubai, starting from the Business Bay Crossing and ending at its intersection with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. The road consists of five lanes in each direction, expanding to more than six lanes in some areas.

Seven Locations

The project included the construction of five bridges and the development and widening of roads in seven locations, as follows:

Zabeel

A 700-metre bridge was constructed, between Oud Metha Street and Financial Centre Street intersections, connecting traffic from Zabeel Palace Street and Oud Metha Street to Al Khail Road towards Jebel Ali. The bridge consists of three lanes with an estimated capacity of 4,800 vehicles per hour.

Meydan

A 610-metre bridge with two lanes was built, between Al Meydan Road and Ras Al Khor Road intersections, connecting traffic from Meydan Street to Al Khail Road towards Deira, with a capacity of 3,200 vehicles per hour. Additionally, improvements were made to 1,550 metres of surface roads to link traffic from Al Khail Road towards Ras Al Khor Street.

Al Quoz 1

A 650-metre bridge with two lanes was constructed, between the intersections of Al Meydan Road and Al Waha Street, connecting traffic from Meydan Street to Al Khail Road towards Jebel Ali, with a capacity of 3,200 vehicles per hour. Works also included 2,170 metres of surface road improvements to connect traffic from Al Khail Road to Al Waha Street and Latifa Bint Hamdan Street.

Ghadeer Al Tair

A 640-metre bridge with two lanes was constructed, between the intersections of Al Meydan Road and Latifa bint Hamdan Street, connecting traffic from Latifa Bint Hamdan Street to Al Khail Road towards Deira, with a capacity of 3,200 vehicles per hour. Surface road improvements spanning 1,350 metres were also carried out to link traffic from Al Khail Road to Meydan Street.

Jumeirah Village Circle

A 700-metre bridge with two lanes was constructed, between Hessa Street and Al Khamila Street, connecting traffic from Al Khail Road to Hessa Street, with a capacity of 3,200 vehicles per hour. Surface road improvements over 900 metres were carried out to connect traffic from Jumeirah Village Circle to Al Khail Road towards Deira.

Al Jaddaf

Surface expansion works were conducted on Al Khail Road in Al Jaddaf by adding a new lane over 600 metres to improve traffic flow towards Deira, increasing the road’s capacity between the intersections of Oud Metha Street and Financial Centre Street by approximately 2,000 vehicles per hour.

Business Bay

A surface widening of Al Khail Road at the entrance to Business Bay by adding an extra 435-metre lane to ensure smoother flow to Business Bay area from Al Khail Road and step up the traffic safety of that sector of the road in the direction of Jebel Ali.