Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded the contract for constructing direct access points to Dubai Islands from Bur Dubai side, aimed at enhancing the region’s road network and mobility system.
The initiative seeks to support ongoing development, meet the demands of urban and demographic growth, enhance traffic flow, and facilitate the movement of residents and visitors across the emirate.
The project comprises the construction of a bridge covering 1,425 meters, with four lanes in each direction, for $213.4 million (AED 786 million).
Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer Director-General, Chairman of Board of Executive Directors – RTA
“The project involves the construction of a direct entry and exit for the Dubai Islands project from Bur Dubai side. A bridge will be built over Dubai Creek, between the Infinity Bridge and Port Rashid Development area. The bridge will be approximately 1,425 meters long, with four lanes in each direction, and a total capacity of 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions. The bridge will rise 18.5 meters above the surface of Dubai Creek, and the navigational channel will be 75 meters wide, allowing various types of vessels to pass through the Creek.”
Additionally, the project includes the construction of a dedicated pedestrian and cycling track connecting both ends of the bridge, with elevators to facilitate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists. The construction of 1.4 km bridge with this facility has commenced.
Al Tayer stated that, “Additionally, surface roads extending 2,000 meters will be constructed to connect the bridge with the existing roads on both sides of Dubai Islands and Bur Dubai areas. This project represents the second contract under the project to build entry and exit points for Dubai Islands. In collaboration with Dubai Holding, RTA completed a project in 2020 that involved constructing three bridges spanning a total of 1.6 kilometers. It included a two-lane bridge facilitating free-flowing traffic from Dubai Islands to Al Khaleej Street northward, a three-lane bridge enabling smooth traffic from Dubai Islands to Al Khaleej Street southward, and a two-lane bridge allowing seamless traffic from Al Khaleej Street southward to Dubai Islands.”
The Director-General also stressed that the Dubai Islands access project is a key part of AlShindagha Corridor Development Project, one of the RTA’s strategic road projects currently in progress. This project involves the development of 15 intersections over a 13-kilometre stretch, and it has been divided into five phases due to its scale.
“The corridor will serve both Deira and Bur Dubai areas, along with several key development projects, including Dubai Islands, Deira Waterfront, Dubai Maritime City, and Port Rashid. The project is expected to benefit around one million people. Furthermore, the development of the corridor will reduce travel time from 104 minutes to just 16 minutes, yielding an estimated saving of nearly $12.26 billion(AED 45 billion) over 20 years,” added Al Tayer.
Amit Kaushal, Group Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Holding, commented that, “Our partnership with RTA exemplifies our commitment to advancing Dubai’s infrastructure and enhancing connectivity across key developments in the emirate. This initiative will significantly improve access to Dubai Islands, facilitating smoother mobility for residents and visitors. At Dubai Holding, we are dedicated to supporting the development of integrated, future-ready communities that align with the city’s vision for sustainable growth and innovation.”
RTA and Dubai Holding have signed an agreement valued at $1.63 billion (AED 6 billion) for the implementation of traffic solutions. The agreement plays a pivotal role in enhancing the emirate’s infrastructure, elevating it to the level of major development projects and integrated planned communities such as Dubai Islands, Jumeirah Village Triangle (JVT), Palm Beach Towers, Al Furjan, Jumeirah Park, Arjan, Majan, Liwan (Phase 1), Nad Al Hamar, Villanova, and Serena.
The agreement includes the development of four additional entry and exit points for Jumeirah Village Circle, along with flyovers that will double the capacity of these access points by 100 percent and reduce travel time on entrances, exits, and internal roads by 70 percent. Additionally, it includes the construction of new bridges connecting Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Dubai Production City, reducing travel time by 50 percent.
Furthermore, surface improvements will be made at Business Bay interchanges, including a pedestrian bridge to separate pedestrian and vehicle traffic at the Business Bay intersection with Al Khail Road. Surface enhancements will also be made to the internal roads in the Towers area. These improvements are expected to reduce travel time by 30 percent.
The agreement also covers the acceleration and deceleration lanes along Palm Jumeirah Street at six key locations, aimed at enhancing traffic flow. Two pedestrian bridges will replace surface crossings, further improving traffic flow and ensuring pedestrian safety, while reducing travel time within Palm Jumeirah by 40 percent.
Moreover, the region will see the expansion of the entrance to Dubai International City (Phase 3) from Al Manama Street, which includes adding a new lane, widening internal roads, and upgrading surface intersections to signalized intersections, thereby improving traffic management and safety. These improvements will cut the travel time from 15 minutes to five minutes.
