DUBAI, Friday, October 30, 2026 — Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened the final bridge of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project on Friday, completing a Dh696 million overhaul of one of the city’s busiest junctions and cutting the journey between two key streets from six minutes to just one.
The new structure, a 1,000-metre two-lane bridge, carries traffic from Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street and can handle around 3,000 vehicles per hour, the RTA said. With its opening, all five bridges of the project are now operational, replacing the former oval World Trade Centre roundabout with a surface-level intersection designed to keep traffic moving.
A six-minute drive becomes one
According to the RTA, the wider project cuts average waiting time at the interchange from up to 12 minutes to about 90 seconds. The final bridge alone slashes the Al Majlis Street to 2nd December Street trip from six minutes to one minute, an improvement of roughly 83 per cent.
Officials said the upgrade was needed because the junction sits at the heart of Dubai’s commercial and exhibition district, funnelling traffic between Sheikh Zayed Road and the roads serving Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai International Financial Centre.
Five bridges, five kilometres
The project comprises five bridges with a combined length of 5,000 metres, grouped into three main connections. A 1,000-metre bridge provides a direct route from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street for motorists heading to Deira, with capacity for about 3,000 vehicles per hour.
Two further bridges, spanning a combined two kilometres, connect Sheikh Rashid Street with 2nd December Street and carry up to 6,000 vehicles per hour. The Al Majlis Street to 2nd December Street link is served by two bridges totalling two kilometres, including the final bridge opened on Friday, with combined capacity of around 6,000 vehicles per hour.
The RTA said the upgraded junction connects Sheikh Zayed Road with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Street, 2nd December Street, Zabeel Palace Street and Al Majlis Street.
More than 500,000 people to benefit
The authority said the development will benefit more than 500,000 residents and visitors, including commuters and people attending exhibitions and events at Dubai World Trade Centre. It serves communities including Zaa’beel, Al Satwa, Al Karama, Al Jafiliya and Al Mankhool, as well as offices, hotels and exhibition halls around the World Trade Centre and DIFC.
RTA Director-General Mattar Al Tayer said the project supports Dubai’s plans to expand road capacity and improve connectivity between its economic centres, according to the authority’s announcement.
What comes next
Although the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project is now complete, another major road upgrade is still under way nearby. The Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project, which includes 1.5 kilometres of bridges and tunnels and an expansion to four lanes in each direction, is scheduled for completion in 2027.
For drivers, the change is immediate: a junction that once meant long queues at peak hours is now designed to clear in about 90 seconds, a small daily saving that adds up across hundreds of thousands of journeys every week.
