The last of five bridges will cut the drive from Al Majlis Street to 2nd December Street from six minutes to one.
Drivers who spend their mornings inching around Dubai’s World Trade Centre Roundabout will soon have one less bottleneck to deal with. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will open the final bridge of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project on Friday, October 30, bringing the major works on the project to a close.
The new bridge stretches 1,000 meters with two lanes and can carry around 3,000 vehicles an hour. It will take traffic from Al Majlis Street toward 2nd December Street, a trip that currently takes about six minutes and will drop to just one.
The opening completes a network of five bridges built around one of the city’s busiest intersections, where Sheikh Zayed Road meets several of Dubai’s main arteries.
The project, which cost more than AED 696 million, has also turned the old roundabout into an at-grade intersection designed to keep traffic moving more smoothly in every direction.
Five Bridges Reshape One of Dubai’s Busiest Junctions
The World Trade Centre Roundabout links Sheikh Zayed Road with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Street, 2nd December Street, Za’abeel Palace Street and Al Majlis Street. With so many routes meeting in one spot, it has long been a pressure point for commuters heading between Deira, Bur Dubai, DIFC and Downtown.
The five bridges built under the project add up to about 5 kilometers. They include a 1-kilometer, second-level bridge from Sheikh Zayed Road toward Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street in the direction of Deira, which handles around 3,000 vehicles an hour.
Two more bridges, totaling 2 kilometers with two lanes in each direction, connect 2nd December Street with Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Majlis Street. These opened in December 2025, nearly a month ahead of schedule, and can carry up to 6,000 vehicles an hour. The remaining bridges serve traffic heading toward 2nd December Street from Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street, with Friday’s opening marking the last piece.
RTA Director General Mattar Al Tayer has described the intersection as one of the major junctions in Dubai, with the project aimed at improving traffic flow on Sheikh Zayed Road and creating an integrated, sustainable mobility system.
More than half a million residents and visitors stand to benefit, including people living and working around Dubai World Trade Centre, DIFC, Za’abeel, Al Satwa and Al Karama.
The project is part of a wider push to ease traffic in the heart of the city. Work is also underway on the AED 633 million Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project, which is widening a 3.5-kilometer stretch from Financial Centre Street to Za’abeel Palace Street from three to four lanes in each direction. Once complete, it will raise capacity by 33% and cut journey times along the corridor from 13 minutes to six.
A 500-meter bridge from that project opened in August, shortening the drive out of Dubai World Trade Centre during major events from 10 minutes to two. Three tunnels with a combined length of 1,500 meters are due to open in February 2027.
Together, these projects are reshaping how traffic moves around Dubai World Trade Centre, which hosts some of the city’s biggest exhibitions and events throughout the year.
