Dubai opens bridge linking Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened a 1,000-metre, two-lane bridge to link Sheikh Zayed Road and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, and cut travel time from six minutes to one minute.

It's a key second-level bridge as part of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project, with a capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour. 

Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said construction work on the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project has "exceeded 60 per cent, with three bridges already opened to traffic". 

In February, two, two-lane bridges opened from 2nd December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street leading to Al Mustaqbal Street. It extended a total of 2,000 metres with a combined capacity of approximately 6,000 vehicles per hour.

Two more bridges from Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street is nearing completion, with the opening scheduled for October. 

"Upon full completion, the project will reduce average delay at the intersection from 12 minutes to 90 seconds," Al Tayer added. "It will enhance traffic flow from Sheikh Zayed Road towards 2nd December Street, as well as from Al Mustaqbal Street towards Sheikh Zayed Road southbound."

He added that the project "will provide free-flow traffic movements from 2nd December Street (Jumeirah and Al Satwa) to Al Majlis Street, leading to Al Mustaqbal Street, serving Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai International Financial Centre, and to Sheikh Rashid Street in the direction of Deira. It will enable uninterrupted traffic movement from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street".

The World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project links Sheikh Zayed Road with five major arterial corridors: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Street, 2nd December Street, Zabeel Palace Street and Al Majlis Street. It further involves converting the existing Roundabout into a signalised at-grade intersection to enhance traffic operations and improve network efficiency.

It will enhance connectivity across Zabeel, Al Satwa, Al Karama, Al Jafiliya and Al Mankhool, among other districts, and benefit more than half a million residents and visitors.