Two of the five bridges in the Trade Center Roundabout project opened ahead of schedule
These two bridges serve the road from 2nd December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Majlis Street, which connects to Al Mustaqbal Street. They will reduce travel time from 2nd December Street to Al Majlis Street, Al Mustaqbal Street, and Zabeel Palace Street from 10 minutes to 2 minutes, without reducing traffic congestion at the Trade Center Roundabout.
The project, with a total cost of more than AED696 million ($189.5 million), includes the construction of five bridges and the conversion of an existing roundabout into an intersection. The number of beneficiaries is estimated at over half a million residents and visitors.
Once completed, the project will reduce the average delay at the intersection from 12 to 90 minutes and cut the travel time for vehicles from Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street from six minutes to just one minute.
The scheduled opening date for the two bridges was mid-January.
Each bridge provides two lanes in both directions and has a combined length of 2,000 meters. They have a capacity of approximately 6,000 vehicles per hour.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority, commented: “The Trade Center Roundabout is one of the major roads in Dubai, connecting Sheikh Zayed Road with five important roads: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Road, 2nd December Street, Zabeel Palace Street, and Al Majlis Street.
“The bridges provide free traffic movement from 2nd December Street in Jumeirah and Al Satwa to Al Majlis Street near Al Mustaqbal Street, serving the Dubai World Trade Center and Dubai International Financial Centre, and from Sheikh Rashid Road towards Deira.
Al Tayer said that work is underway on the project at an early stage.
“Work on this project is progressing at a faster pace than the approved schedule, which shows the commitment of RTA to facilitate the mobility of citizens. The completion of the project has reached about 50 percent and it will start opening in phases,” added Al Tayer.
“In addition to the two bridges already open to traffic, March will mark the opening of a bridge connecting Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street. Two more bridges will be opened in October 2026, providing traffic from Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street.”
The five bridges under construction will allow free flow of traffic in many areas. The project includes a two-lane double-deck bridge from Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street towards Deira. This bridge is 1,000 meters long and has a capacity of approximately 3,000 vehicles per hour.
The project also has two two-lane bridges on both sides connecting Sheikh Rashid Road and 2nd December Street. These bridges have a combined length of 2,000 meters and a total capacity of about 6,000 vehicles per hour.
In addition, the project includes two two-lane bridges in either direction from Al Majlis Street to 2nd December Street, providing a direct connection between Al Mustaqbal Street and 2nd December Street. These bridges have a combined length of 2,000 meters and a total capacity of approximately 6,000 vehicles per hour.
The project works with many commercial, residential, and development areas, especially the Dubai World Trade Center, which for more than forty years has been a major venue for international events and exhibitions and hosts major global exhibitions and conferences such as GITEX, Arabian Travel Market, Arab Health Exhibition and Congress, and Gulfood, among others.
The project also serves the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), in addition to communities such as Zabeel, Al Satwa, Al Karama, Al Jafiliya, Al Mannkhool, and others.
