In line with the directives of the leadership to accelerate the development of road infrastructure and expand traffic capacity across Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced an integrated urban project to upgrade Umm Suqeim Street, from its intersection with Jumeirah Street to Al Khail Road.
The project is designed to enhance traffic flow in support of the emirate’s comprehensive development, address the demands of urban expansion and population growth, and to improve the overall quality of life for both residents and visitors.
Dubai traffic improvement in Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim
It complements works currently underway to upgrade Umm Suqeim Street from its intersection with Al Khail Road to Emirates Road, ultimately enabling uninterrupted traffic flow from Jumeirah to Al Qudra Road over a total distance of 20km.
The project goes beyond traditional road widening and development by integrating creative and aesthetic enhancements into the surrounding urban landscape.
It features upgraded pedestrian walkways, a dedicated cycling track, and complete streets (boulevards), alongside vibrant urban spaces designed to foster community interaction and create inclusive, dynamic environments.
It also establishes a direct link between Mall of the Emirates Metro Station and nearby residential communities through targeted improvements that ensure smooth, integrated, and seamless access between these areas and the metro.
The project forms part of a master plan developed by RTA to upgrade the road network in the area, including enhancements to Jumeirah Street, Al Wasl Street, and Al Safa Street in Dubai, details of which will be announced in due course.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said: “The upgrade of Umm Suqeim Street, from its intersection with Jumeirah Street to Al Khail Road, forms part of a master plan to develop the Umm Suqeim–Al Qudra corridor.
“This strategic route extends from its intersections with Jumeirah Street throughout to its intersections with Emirates Road to Al Qudra Road, serving key residential and development zones with a combined population exceeding two million”.
The project enhances connectivity across four strategic transport corridors in Dubai:
- Sheikh Zayed Road
- Al Khail Road
- Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road
- Emirates Road
It will increase Umm Suqeim Street’s capacity to 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, significantly improve traffic flow, and reduce travel time between Jumeirah Street and Al Khail Road from 20 minutes to just six.
Al Tayer said: “The upgraded corridor will directly serve vital residential and development areas, including Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim, Al Manara, Al Sufouh, Umm Al Sheif, Al Barsha, and Al Quoz; home to more than two million residents.
“The project entails the upgrade of six key intersections along Umm Suqeim Street, specifically those with Jumeirah Street, Al Wasl Street, Sheikh Zayed Road, First Al Khail Street, Al Asayel Street, and Al Khail Road”.
The scope includes the construction of four bridges and three tunnels in Dubai, with a total combined length of 4.1km.
At the intersection with Jumeirah Street, a tunnel with two lanes in each direction will be constructed, complemented by a signalised surface-level junction.
A second tunnel, comprising two lanes, will be constructed at the intersection with Al Wasl Street to facilitate traffic flow from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Jumeirah Street, while maintaining uninterrupted surface traffic in the direction of Sheikh Zayed Road.
At its intersection with Sheikh Zayed Road, two bridges will be constructed to eliminate traffic overlap and enhance movement efficiency.
A tunnel will also be developed at the intersection with First Al Khail Street to accommodate traffic coming from Al Barsha towards Sheikh Zayed Road, along with associated surface-level improvements.
Additional enhancements include widening the stretch between First Al Khail Street and Al Asayel Street by adding one lane in each direction, increasing capacity to four lanes per direction.
At Al Khail Road, the works involve the construction and widening of two flyovers—one connecting Al Khail Road with Al Quoz Industrial Area, and the other facilitating traffic from Umm Suqeim Street to Al Khail Road heading towards Deira.
RTA is currently advancing works on a 4.6km section of Umm Suqeim Street, stretching from its intersection with Al Khail Road to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.
This phase includes the redevelopment of the intersection at Al Barsha South, near Kings’ School, through the construction of an 800m tunnel comprising four lanes in each direction, along with a signalised surface-level intersection.
Works have surpassed 70 per cent completion, with the opening scheduled for the third quarter of this year.
Concurrently, RTA has initiated a separate project to upgrade key intersections along Dubai’s Al Qudra Road.
This segment extends from the junction with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, through Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, and up to Emirates Road.
The scope includes the construction of bridges totalling 2,700 metres in length, as well as the development and widening of 11.6km of the existing road. Once complete, this phase will significantly boost the overall capacity of Al Qudra Road and reduce travel time from 9.4 minutes to just 2.8 minutes.
The project also includes upgrading the intersection between Al Qudra Road and the street connecting Arabian Ranches with Dubai Studio City, through the construction of a 600m bridge on Al Qudra Road comprising four lanes in each direction.
This bridge will improve traffic flow along both Al Qudra Road and the street connecting between Arabian Ranches and Dubai Studio City.
Additionally, the intersection with Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street will be upgraded through the construction of a 700m bridge with seven lanes in both directions.
The scope also includes the construction of auxiliary ramps, with two lanes each, to enable smooth directional transitions without impacting main traffic flow.
The works further involve the construction of a 500m bridge to facilitate traffic movement from Al Qudra Road towards Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street in the direction of Jebel Ali, along with a 900m bridge to serve traffic heading towards the city centre and Dubai International Airport.
To support accessibility to surrounding developments, the project includes the construction of 3km of service roads along both sides of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street.
The project also includes the development of the extension of Al Qudra Road from its intersection with Emirates Road up to the roundabout serving several development zones, through increasing the number of lanes in both directions along this stretch.
The aim is to enhance traffic flow and improve the overall capacity of this vital corridor in the Developers Area.
In a subsequent phase, RTA will develop a new road within the southern section of the development zone, linking it to Emirates Road.
This will enhance ingress and egress to and from neighbouring developments, in addition to increasing the number of lanes on both sides of Emirates Road to strengthen connectivity with adjacent projects inDubai.
