UAE traffic now: Emirates Road congested, Al Ittihad slow, Al Nahda gridlocked in Dubai and Sharjah

Dubai: If you're wrapping up your shortened Ramadan workday and thinking about heading home, here's what you need to know right now, because the roads are already telling a story, and it's not a short one.

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We are just hours away from Iftar, which falls around 6:19pm today, and that means the next few hours are going to be the most congested window of the day. Historically, the 45 minutes leading into Iftar is the single worst traffic period during Ramadan and today, being the second day, expect many drivers to be recalibrating their routines in real time.

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Starting in Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) is building up steadily from the Jebel Ali direction northward. The stretch between Mall of the Emirates interchange and Business Bay is already showing heavy flow, with speeds dipping. Al Khail Road (E44) is holding as a reasonable alternative for now, but expect the Dubai Hills Mall interchange and the Business Bay junction to tighten as we approach 5 pm. If you're heading toward DIFC or Downtown, consider exiting early onto Al Meydan Road or Al Asayel Street.

This is where most of the pain is concentrated. Emirates Road (E611) has a confirmed lane closure today the lane from Dubai toward Sharjah at Bridge No. 7 is shut as part of ongoing enhancement works. This is significant. What's already a high-pressure corridor is now a bottleneck. Expect queues building well before the closure point. Additionally, heavy vehicles are banned on Emirates Road from 2 pm to 8 pm under new Ramadan truck restrictions which does ease some freight pressure but doesn't make up for the lane loss.

Al Ittihad Road (E11) through Deira and into Sharjah is the traditional alternative, and it's bearing the load. Al Wahda Street in Sharjah is backed up from Al Khan all the way toward Al Mulla Plaza. The Al Nahda crossing always a chokepoint is particularly slow. If you're commuting from Dubai to Sharjah, add at least 30 to 45 minutes to your expected travel time.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311) is another option being used heavily today. Expect congestion from Muhaisnah heading into Sharjah's Al Zahia area.

Sharjah Airport Road is slow. The roads around Sahara Centre and the Industrial Areas particularly Industrial Area 3 are backed up as workers head home early for Iftar. Al Nahda near the S102 Ring Road remains a near-standstill zone at this hour.

Southbound on E11 toward Abu Dhabi is moving but thickening. Airport Road and the Musaffah direction are starting to build nothing alarming yet, but watch this space post-5 pm.

If you can delay your departure by even 30 minutes post-Iftar around 7 pm roads tend to clear quickly once people are home at the table. The Dubai Metro is running full service and is your fastest bet if you're going anywhere along the Red or Green lines. Salik peak rates of Dh 6 apply until 5 pm, so factor that in too.