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Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a major transformative plan to overhaul major roads in the emirate worth an estimated $4.35 billion (AED16 billion) across nearly two dozen projects.
In an announcement on Sunday, the RTA said His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai reviewed the transformative initiatives of Dubai’s RTA aimed at advancing urban mobility and infrastructure.
The authority highlighted the growth in public transport users, which currently stands at 2.2 million riders daily, as well as the development of the road network, bridges, and cycling tracks in Dubai from 2006 to the present. The road network expanded from 8,715 lane-kilometres to 18,990 lane-kilometres, marking a 117% increase.
In addition, the number of vehicles in Dubai during daytime hours has reached 3.5 million, with a 10% increase in registered vehicles over the past two years, compared to a global average of 2–4%. Population growth is projected at 3.6% annually until 2030.
However, according to RTA, despite significant traffic volume growth, Dubai ranks high on the global journey time index.
Citing the 2023 TomTom Global Traffic Index, RTA said Dubai achieved a journey time of 12 minutes and 50 seconds for a 10 km trip within the central business district, compared to 16 minutes and 50 seconds in Singapore, 19 minutes in Montreal, 21 minutes in Sydney, 22 minutes in Berlin, and 36 minutes in London.
Upcoming projects
The RTA has 22 upcoming road projects set to improve traffic flow across the city and connect hubs. .
Latifa bint Hamdan Street
including the Latifa bint Hamdan Street development set to commence next year.
This project covers 12,200 metres from its intersection with Al Khail Road to Emirates Road, encompassing 8,100 metres of bridges.
Serving over 1 million residents, the project will add capacity for approximately 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions and reduce travel time by 15–20%.
The plan also includes the Meydan Road development project, which will involve 10,600 metres of roads, 3,300 metres of bridges, and three tunnels totalling 1,500 metres, benefiting around 1 million residents.
It is expected to add capacity for 22,000 vehicles per hour in both directions and reduce travel time from Umm Suqeim Street to the extension of Meydan Street to just four minutes.
Al Mustaqbal Street
The Al Mustaqbal Street and Trade Centre Roundabout project includes the construction of bridges and tunnels totalling 6,200 metres, which will increase road capacity from 9,000 to 12,000 vehicles per hour, a 30% increase.
It will also reduce travel time from eight minutes to 3.5 minutes, benefiting over half a million residents and visitors. RTA has awarded the contract for the Trade Centre Roundabout development project to Wade Adams , which includes the construction of five bridges totalling 5,000 metres to ensure free-flowing traffic in all directions.
The roundabout will be converted into a surface-level intersection controlled by traffic signals to improve traffic flow, reducing delays from 12 minutes to just 90 seconds.
By the end of this year, RTA will also award the contract for the Al Mustaqbal Street development project.
Umm Suqeim and Al Qudra Streets
This ongoing project covers a 16,000-metre stretch from the Jumeirah Street intersection to Emirates Road.
The project will involve the development of four intersections, including 2,500 metres of bridges and 2,000 metres of tunnels. This will increase road capacity from 8,400 to 12,600 vehicles per hour and reduce travel time from 46 minutes to just 11 minutes, benefiting over 800,000 residents.
Al Fay Street
The Al Fay Steet development project is a key strateagic corridor in the emirate, extending from Al Khail Road at its intersection with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, passing through Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street up to the Emirates Road.
The project includes 12,900 metres of road construction and the development of five intersections, with 13,500 metres of bridges. This will provide additional capacity for approximately 64,400 vehicles per hour, benefiting around 600,000 residents.
Al Safa Street
The Al Safa Street development project stretches from Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Wasl Road.
The project includes the construction of 2,100 metres of tunnels, including a two-lane tunnel providing direct access from Al Safa Street to the City Walk project, as well as 650 metres of bridges.
These upgrades will increase the street’s capacity from 6,800 to 9,400 vehicles per hour and reduce travel time from 20 minutes to just two minutes, benefiting approximately 358,000 residents.
Trackless tram
RTA also has plans to expand projects and initiatives in autonomous transport and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in traffic management to enhance mobility in Dubai.
The Dubai Tram network will be expanded, with a study on deploying trackless tram systems at eight locations across Dubai.
This advanced, self-driving tram system operates on virtual tracks, using camera-guided painted lines on dedicated lanes. Powered by electricity, it is eco-friendly, with lower costs and faster construction compared to traditional trams. Each tram has three carriages with a capacity of 300 passengers, a top speed of 70km/h, and an operational speed of 25 to 60km/h. A single charge allows the tram to travel up to 100km.
Since its launch, the tram has completed 950,000 journeys, served 60 million passengers, and achieved an 850% increase in ridership since opening. The tram also maintains a high punctuality rate of 99.9%.
Dedicated lanes
RTA plans to extend dedicated bus and taxi lanes in 2025 and 2026. This extension will add six routes covering 13km, bringing the total length of dedicated lanes to 20km.
These lanes are projected to increase ridership by 10%, improve bus arrival rates by 42%, reduce bus travel time by 41%, encourage public transport use, and alleviate traffic congestion.
The lanes are also designed to support Dubai’s Self-Driving Transport Strategy 2030, with expected economic benefits estimated at AED2.3 billion over 10 years. These lanes will support autonomous, electric-powered buses.
With a speed of 40km/h, the bus is designed for first and last-mile transport, connecting main transit hubs with final destinations. It has a capacity of 10-20 passengers and serves as a practical solution for sustainable urban transport.
Commercial logistics
RTA is also launching a commercial transport platform. Named Logisty, the platform is a digital service developed in partnership with the private sector to enhance commercial transport services for business clients.
The platform manages commercial vehicle fleets, providing on-demand booking and tracking, vehicle and driver verification, and a reliable registration database. It supports Dubai’s Commercial and Logistics Land Transport Strategy 2030, connecting customers with commercial transport providers.
The authority also showcased smart cycling tracks scanning to improve preventive predictive, and proactive maintenance strategies for cycling tracks and infrastructure, as well as the Green Road safe driving system, which alerts drivers of the 1,395 public transport buses in real time about traffic safety breaches.
His Highness reviewed performance metrics from the Smart Control Centre, which opened in 2021 to monitor real-time violations by drivers of transport vehicles, enhancing inspection efficiency. The centre automates 47 of the 124 total violations and has recorded 367,000 violations since its opening, and academic scholarships to train and quality Emirati talent. |
