The key facts
- The final bridge of Dubai's World Trade Centre interchange will open on Friday, the RTA said.
- The 1 km bridge is designed for 3,000 vehicles per hour; the project comprises five bridges totalling 5 km.
- According to the RTA, the average delay at the interchange will drop from 12 minutes to 90 seconds; the cost exceeds AED 696 million.
Opening of the final bridge
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Sunday, October 25, that the final bridge of the World Trade Centre interchange reconstruction project will open on Friday. The 1 km bridge is designed to carry 3,000 vehicles per hour. According to the RTA, travel time between Al Majlis Street and 2nd December Street will be reduced from six minutes to one.
Scale and cost of the project
With the completion of the works, the project will have delivered five bridges with a total length of 5 km. The RTA estimates that at least 500,000 residents and visitors of the emirate will benefit from the improvements. The average delay at the interchange, according to the authority's forecast, will fall from 12 minutes to 90 seconds. The total cost of the works is estimated at more than AED 696 million.
Statements and related projects
RTA Director General Mattar Al Tayer said the completion of the project aligns with the drive to modernise Dubai's road infrastructure, improve traffic flow on Sheikh Zayed Road and enhance connectivity between the emirate's key economic and commercial centres. According to him, the project will also increase the capacity of the road network in view of Dubai's rapid population growth, urban development and economy. He added that the interchange project complements the Al Mustaqbal Street development project, which is due to be completed in 2027 and includes bridges and tunnels with a total length of 1,500 metres and the widening of the street to four lanes in each direction. Al Tayer described the interchange reconstruction as one of the strategic projects of Dubai's road network, given its location on Sheikh Zayed Road.
Context and significance
The National's article on the project also refers to plans for a major road reconstruction in Mussaffah — an industrial district of Abu Dhabi — aimed at reducing congestion, which points to parallel infrastructure programmes in different emirates. Editorial note: the figures cited by the RTA (a reduction in delay from 12 minutes to 90 seconds, an impact on 500,000 people) are the authority's own estimates and, until traffic opens on Friday, have not been verified by independent data. For daily users of Sheikh Zayed Road, the practical outcome will be a noticeable reduction in travel time through one of the emirate's busiest junctions starting Friday.
