Umm Suqeim Street development pushes on as Dubai traffic increases

Roads authority says improvement project has moved another step closer to completion

A rendering of what the intersection will look like. Photo: Dubai Roads and Transport Authority

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has announced that the project to cut congestion on Umm Suqeim Street, from the intersection with Al Khail Road to the junction with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road, is another step closer to completion.

The project, which is now 70 per cent under way, is part of a master development plan for the Umm Suqeim-Al Qudra corridor, which runs from Jumeirah Street to Emirates Road, spanning 16km in total.

It serves several residential and development areas with a population exceeding one million residents. The project includes the development of the intersection of Umm Suqeim Street with Al Barsha Street to the south, just by Kings School Al Barsha, building an 800-metre-long four-lane underpass, plus a surface intersection controlled by a traffic light.

The intention is to increase the number of vehicles that can use the road to 16,000 an hour in both directions, cutting the journey time between Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road and Al Khail Road by 61 per cent. The RTA said this will make the journey 3.8 minutes long, instead of the typical 9.7 minutes now.

Residential areas set to benefit from the upgrade include Al Barsha South 1, 2, and 3, Dubai Hills, Arjan, and Dubai Science Park, with an estimated population of more than one million.

Tackling traffic

Dubai’s roads are getting busier, with the emirate’s toll operator recently reporting more vehicles on its system, increased journeys and surging profits.

Salik said the number of registered active vehicles, including motorcycles, increased 9.3 per cent year-on-year to 4.47 million. There was a 7.3 per cent increase in registered drivers for the same period.

According to the Ministry of Interior, 383,086 new driving licences were issued in 2024 and Dubai’s Statistics Centre population clock showed 3.93 million recently – up from 3.73 million on the same day last year.

There are a multitude of projects taking place around the emirate to handle the influx of new residents.

Two months ago, a Dh6 billion agreement between the RTA and Dubai Holding meant that popular locations will be improved to make traffic flow more seamlessly. Bridges – both pedestrian and vehicle – will be developed and new roads built as part of the deal to improve access to five Dubai Holding developments: Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai Production City, Business Bay, Palm Jumeirah, and International City.

Several projects are underway to reduce traffic in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dubai's Railbus project was announced this year at the World Governments Summit. It was revealed that technical studies on the project would take two years and the new network would complement the metro and tram networks.

In October, authorities said that Dubai's Trade Centre Roundabout, connecting Sheikh Zayed Road with five main roads, will be upgraded as part of a Dh696 million project which will include five bridges spanning 5,000 metres in total and turned into a bridged intersection. In November, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, approved a five-year plan to transform the road network across the emirate.

The plan includes 21 projects spread across 12 residential, commercial and industrial areas, with 634km of new roads costing Dh3.7 billion. In December, Dubai released a map of its proposed new road network that will improve traffic flow to 19 residential areas, including Al Barsha and Jumeirah. The project, which will cover a total length of 11.5km, will cut travel time by up to 40 per cent, the RTA said.

The project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026. The Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040 estimates the city's population will have risen to 5.8 million by 2040. Currently, the Dubai Statistics Centre estimates the population to be 3.8 million.

In September, two major bridges were opened in Dubai as part of a project to cut journey times at the Garn Al Sabkha-Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road junction, to the south of traffic-logged Dubai Marina.

The first can now accommodate 3,200 vehicles an hour and the second has capacity of 3,200 vehicles an hour.

The project was completed the following month with the opening of a third bridge connecting the junction of Garn Al Sabkha Street with Al Asayel Street. This crossing spans nearly a kilometre and was designed to handle 8,000 vehicles per hour.

Meanwhile, the Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, which encompasses a 13km area including Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street is still continuing with a budget of Dh5.3 billion. It serves Deira and Bur Dubai, in addition to nearby areas such as Deira Islands, Dubai Seafront, Dubai Maritime City and Port Rashid.