Trade Centre Roundabout Bridges Opened To Ease Dubai Traffic Ahead Of Schedule

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has advanced work on the Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project by opening two new bridges that are already easing pressure on one of the emirate’s busiest junctions, improving journey times between key business and residential districts.

RTA Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors Mattar Al Tayer described the Trade Centre Roundabout as a vital interchange that links Sheikh Zayed Road with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Sheikh Rashid Road, 2nd December Street, Zabeel Palace Street and Al Majlis Street.

The newly opened bridges improve movement from 2nd December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Majlis Street, which connects to Al Mustaqbal Street. Each bridge carries two lanes in both directions. Combined length stands at 2,000 metres with total capacity around 6,000 vehicles per hour.

The Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project works on these bridges finished ahead of the mid-January programme, allowing motorists to benefit earlier. RTA reports that congestion at the Trade Centre Roundabout has already eased, with travel from 2nd December Street to Al Majlis Street, Al Mustaqbal Street and Zabeel Palace Street dropping from ten minutes to about two minutes.

According to Al Tayer, the Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project has a total budget above AED696 million and includes five bridges extending 5,000 metres, along with converting the current roundabout into a surface-level intersection designed to improve overall network efficiency and safety.

Project completion has reached almost 50 percent, and RTA states work is ahead of schedule. A bridge connecting Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street is planned to open in March, with two more bridges linking Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Majlis Street and 2nd December Street due by October 2026.

Once the Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project is fully finished, average delays at the junction are expected to fall from 12 minutes to 90 seconds, and travel from Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street should shorten from six minutes to about one minute, supporting areas including Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai International Financial Centre, Zabeel, Al Satwa, Al Karama, Al Jafiliya and Al Mankhool, and forming part of a broader upgrade of Al Mustaqbal Street scheduled to complete in 2027.

With inputs from WAM