Dubai RTA to open final World Trade Centre bridge on 30 October

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said it will open the final bridge of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project to traffic on 30 October 2026. The 25 October announcement says the bridge will serve traffic travelling from Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street. Its opening will mark the completion of the project’s major works.

The final link is 1,000 metres long and has two lanes. RTA gave its capacity as approximately 3,000 vehicles per hour. The authority said the journey on that route is expected to fall from six minutes to one minute; this estimate concerns travel between the two named streets.

The full project comprises five bridges with a combined length of 5,000 metres. RTA put its cost at more than AED696 million. The works convert the former roundabout into an at-grade intersection and provide free-flowing connections in several directions.

RTA Director-General Mattar Al Tayer said the project is intended to improve traffic flow on Sheikh Zayed Road and strengthen links between major economic and commercial centres in the emirate. The authority estimates that average delay at the intersection will fall from 12 minutes to 90 seconds and that more than 500,000 residents and visitors will benefit. These are RTA’s project estimates.

The connections serve areas including Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai International Financial Centre, Zaa’beel, Al Satwa, Al Karama, Al Jafiliya and Al Mankhool. The project’s bridges include an elevated link towards Deira, two bridges connecting Sheikh Rashid Street with 2nd December Street, and two linking Al Majlis Street with 2nd December Street.

RTA describes the investment as complementing the Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project. Scheduled for completion in 2027, that separate project includes bridges and tunnels spanning 1,500 metres and widening the street to four lanes in each direction; the authority expects a 33% capacity increase. The 25 October announcement gives the final bridge’s scheduled opening date and does not say it is already open.

The announcement’s two traffic indicators describe different measures. The expected reduction from six minutes to one minute concerns a specific journey from Al Majlis Street to 2nd December Street; the projected fall from 12 minutes to 90 seconds concerns average delay at the intersection. RTA also provided an approximate hourly capacity for the final bridge. These figures refer to distinct routes or measures and should not be treated as interchangeable. The announcement provides project estimates before opening; it does not report actual journey times measured after the bridge enters service.