The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will open the last of five bridges at the World Trade Centre Roundabout on Friday, 30 October 2026. The new structure spans 1,000 metres and carries two lanes of traffic between Al Majlis Street and 2nd December Street.
Final bridge completes a major interchange
Designed to handle roughly 3,000 vehicles per hour, the bridge is expected to cut the crossing time from six minutes to about one minute. When it opens, the roundabout will have five bridges totaling 5,000 metres, all built to create free-flowing movement on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Mattar Al Tayer, RTA’s Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, said the project follows the emirate’s strategy to upgrade road infrastructure and improve traffic flow on its main artery. “The completion of the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project is in line with the directives of the wise leadership to continue upgrading Dubai’s road infrastructure, improve traffic flow on Sheikh Zayed Road and enhance connectivity between the emirate’s leading economic and commercial centres,” he explained.
The roundabout links Sheikh Zayed Road with five key streets: Al Majlis, Za’abeel Palace, 2nd December, Sheikh Rashid and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. The authority replaced the former at-grade roundabout with a series of raised bridges that allow traffic to move without stopping at the intersection.
Al Tayer highlighted that the scheme will lower the average delay at the junction from 12 minutes to 90 seconds. He added that the improvements will serve more than 500,000 residents and tourists who travel to major venues such as the Dubai World Trade Centre and the Dubai International Financial Centre.
Other spans in the complex connect Sheikh Rashid Street and 2nd December Street with two lanes each way, providing capacity for up to 6,000 vehicles per hour across a combined length of 2,000 metres.
The entire roundabout development has cost more than $189.5 million (AED 696 million). Together with the five bridges, the project adds significant capacity to one of Dubai’s busiest corridors and creates multiple free-flowing connections that were previously unavailable.
Linking to wider road upgrades
The roundabout works are part of a broader network upgrade that includes the Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project, slated for completion in 2027. That scheme will add 1,500 metres of bridges and tunnels, widen the road to four lanes each way and raise capacity by 33 percent.
Drivers now enjoy uninterrupted flow from Sheikh Zayed Road onto adjacent arteries, including direct links toward the financial district and exhibition venues.
Integration with the Al Mustaqbal Street upgrade
RTA’s broader programme includes a substantial contract worth $172 million (AED 633 million) for the Al Mustaqbal Street enhancement, which runs parallel to the roundabout.
