If you regularly drive past the Trade Centre Roundabout, this update will feel like a small win — and a big relief.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has officially opened two new bridges at the Trade Centre Roundabout, one of the city’s most heavily used intersections. The result? Travel time through the area has dropped from around 10 minutes to just two minutes, a noticeable change for thousands of daily commuters.
The bridges are part of the Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project, a major infrastructure upgrade aimed at easing congestion in the heart of Dubai. The opening comes ahead of schedule, giving motorists early access to smoother, faster routes across central neighbourhoods.
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A Much-Needed Upgrade at a Busy Junction
The Trade Centre Roundabout is more than just another intersection. It connects Sheikh Zayed Road with several key routes, including Sheikh Rashid Road, 2nd December Street, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Al Majlis Street, and Zabeel Palace Street.
For years, this junction has been a bottleneck — especially during morning and evening rush hours. Office-goers heading to DIFC, event traffic bound for the Dubai World Trade Centre, and residents from nearby areas like Al Satwa, Karama, and Mankhool all funnel through this stretch.
The newly opened bridges now carry traffic moving from 2nd December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Majlis Street, with direct connections to Al Mustaqbal Street and Zabeel Palace Street. This has immediately eased pressure on surface-level roads.
What These New Bridges Offer?
Each of the two bridges comes with two lanes in both directions, stretching across a combined length of about 2,000 metres. Together, they can handle close to 6,000 vehicles per hour, making a visible difference during peak travel times.
For drivers, the change is simple but significant. Routes that once crawled now flow. A commute that involved multiple signals and long waits is now completed in minutes, not patience-testing stretches of time.
Whether you’re heading towards Downtown Dubai, commuting to DIFC, or exiting the area after a busy exhibition day at DWTC, the difference is already being felt.
Opened Early, With More on the Way
According to RTA, the bridges were opened earlier than the originally planned mid-January timeline — a move that reflects faster-than-expected progress on the project.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, confirmed that overall work on the development has reached nearly 50 per cent completion, with phased openings planned over the coming months and years.
The next milestone is expected in March, when a new bridge linking Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street opens to traffic. Two additional bridges are scheduled for October 2026, catering to traffic moving from Sheikh Rashid Road and Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street.
Once everything is complete, average delays at the intersection are expected to drop from 12 minutes to about 90 seconds — a dramatic improvement by any standard.
How does it affect your daily schedule?
This project isn’t just about saving a few minutes. It directly impacts how people experience the city every day.
Central Dubai is home to some of the city’s busiest commercial, residential, and cultural zones. Areas like Zabeel, Al Jafiliya, DIFC, Karama, Satwa, and Mankhool see constant movement — residents heading to work, families on school runs, taxis navigating city traffic, and visitors attending major events.
With these bridges open, journeys become more predictable. Less idling at signals also means smoother traffic flow, lower stress levels, and a better overall driving experience.
More than 500,000 residents and visitors are expected to benefit once the full project is completed.
Part of a Bigger Mobility Vision
The Trade Centre Roundabout upgrades are just one piece of a larger plan to modernise road networks across Dubai.
The wider development also includes improvements to Al Mustaqbal Street, running from Zabeel Palace Street to Financial Centre Street. This section will see new bridges and tunnels, along with road widening from three lanes to four in each direction.
Once completed, road capacity in the area will increase from 9,000 to 12,000 vehicles per hour, while journey times are expected to fall from eight minutes to just over three minutes.
Together, these changes support Dubai’s long-term mobility goals — keeping pace with population growth, business expansion, and the city’s constant movement.
The Takeaway for Drivers
If you drive through the Trade Centre regularly, now is a good time to reassess your route. What used to be a slow, congested crossing is quickly becoming one of the smoother stretches in central Dubai.
And with more bridges set to open over the next few years, this part of the city is only going to get easier to navigate.
Read More: RTA announces three major upgrades on Sheikh Zayed Road – Social Kandura
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