Dubai completes Sheikh Zayed Road widening to ease congestion near Burj Khalifa

Dubai completes Sheikh Zayed Road widening to ease congestion near Burj Khalifa

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has completed a 2-kilometre widening project on Sheikh Zayed Road near the Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station, adding a seventh lane to ease congestion during peak hours.

The new lane serves traffic travelling from Abu Dhabi towards the World Trade Centre Intersection, increasing capacity by 17% and reducing journey times by up to 10% during peak hours. The road now carries over 400,000 vehicles daily, with up to 14,000 vehicles per hour on specific expanded stretches, making it one of the busiest corridors in the region.

Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road peaks severely between 7am and 9:30am, and again from 5:30pm to 8pm, frequently causing heavy congestion and delays. The widening project aims to address these bottlenecks during the busiest periods of the day.

Part of Dh696 million development

The lane expansion forms part of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project, a Dh696 million initiative awarded in October 2024. The larger project includes construction of five bridges spanning 5,000 metres in total, serving an estimated 500,000 residents and visitors across central Dubai.

The RTA recently opened a second-level bridge as part of the development. The 1,000-metre bridge has two lanes and a capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour, serving traffic from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street in the direction of Al Karama and Deira. The bridge cuts the journey time between Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street from about six minutes to one minute.

Three bridges have already opened in February and late February 2026, with two more scheduled to open in October 2026. When fully completed, the project will reduce average intersection delays from 12 minutes to 90 seconds.

Strategic corridor improvements

Sheikh Zayed Road provides access to several major destinations, including Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai International Financial Centre, the Museum of the Future, Al Karama, Al Jafiliya and Al Mankhool. The road also plays a key role in supporting traffic generated by international exhibitions and events.

Within Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road covers 55 kilometres from the Trade Centre Roundabout to Jebel Ali. The road is part of the E11 motorway, the longest road in the UAE at 558.4 kilometres, connecting six of the seven emirates from the Saudi Arabia border to the Oman border.

The Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station, located near the widening project, recorded nearly 11 million passengers in 2024 with a daily average of 56,000 passengers. The station is undergoing expansion to handle up to 220,000 passengers daily, reflecting the high-density transit environment in the area.

The Sheikh Zayed Road improvements are part of a broader 2026 traffic improvement plan launched by the RTA, which includes over 45 initiatives across Dubai. The projects are expected to reduce congestion by 15% to 30% in targeted zones across the city.