Opening of Two Bridges as part of the Development Project of the Commercial Center Roundabout
On Sunday, December 21, 2025, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened two bridges as part of the Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project. The bridges serve traffic heading from 2nd of December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street leading to Al Mustaqbal Street. They have two lanes in each direction, with a total length of 2,000 meters and a capacity of approximately 6,000 vehicles per hour.
The bridges were opened ahead of schedule, which was set for mid-January. The bridges will contribute to improving traffic flow from 2nd of December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street, reducing travel time from 2nd of December Street to Al Majlis Street, Al Mustaqbal Street, and Zaabeel Palace Street from 10 minutes to 2 minutes, in addition to reducing traffic congestion at the Trade Centre Roundabout.
His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said: “The Trade Centre Roundabout is one of the most important major intersections in Dubai, connecting Sheikh Zayed Road with five vital streets: Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road, Sheikh Rashid Road, 2nd of December Street, Zaabeel Palace Street, and Al Majlis Street. The project, which costs more than AED 696 million, includes the construction of five bridges with a length of 5,000 meters, and the conversion of the existing roundabout into a surface intersection.
This will contribute to enhancing the flow of traffic coming from Sheikh Zayed Road towards 2nd of December Street and traffic coming from Al Mustaqbal Street towards Sheikh Zayed Road southbound. It will also provide free-flowing traffic from 2nd of December Street (Jumeirah and Al Satwa) to Al Majlis Street leading to Al Mustaqbal Street (Dubai World Trade Centre and Dubai International Financial Centre), and Sheikh Rashid Road towards Deira. It will also provide free-flowing traffic via a bridge at the second level from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road.”
His Excellency added: Work on the project is progressing at a faster pace than the approved schedule, in order to facilitate the movement of residents. The overall completion rate of the project has reached approximately 50%, and it will be opened in stages. In addition to the two bridges that have been opened to traffic, next March will witness the opening of the bridge leading from Sheikh Zayed Street to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street, and two more bridges will be opened in October 2026, serving traffic from Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street, towards the Second of December Street.
He pointed out that the project, when completed, will contribute to reducing the average delay at the intersection from 12 minutes to 90 seconds, and reducing the journey time for traffic heading from Sheikh Zayed Street to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street from six minutes to one minute.
Five bridges
It is worth noting that the five bridges being constructed provide free-flowing traffic in several directions. They include the construction of a two-lane bridge at the second level, from Sheikh Zayed Street to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street towards Deira, with a length of 1,000 meters and a capacity of 3,000 vehicles per hour. There are also two two-lane bridges in both directions, connecting Sheikh Rashid Street with 2nd December Street.
The total length of the two bridges is 2,000 meters, and their capacity is estimated at about 6,000 vehicles per hour. The project also includes the construction of two two-lane bridges in both directions, from Al Majlis Street to 2nd December Street, to connect Al Mustaqbal Street with 2nd December Street. The total length of the two bridges is 2,000 meters, and their capacity is estimated at about 6,000 vehicles per hour.
The project serves many commercial, residential and development areas, most notably the Dubai World Trade Centre, which has been the largest site for international events and exhibitions for more than forty years, and hosts global exhibitions and conferences, such as GITEX, Arabian Travel Market, Arab Health Exhibition and Conference, Gulfood, and other conferences. The project also serves the Dubai International Financial Centre, which is a leading financial center in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, and serves the areas of Zaabeel, Satwa, Karama, Jafiliya, Mankhool and others as well, and the number of beneficiaries of it is estimated at more than half a million residents and visitors.
Future Street
The Trade Centre Roundabout development project is part of a larger project that also includes the development of Al Mustaqbal Street, which extends from its intersection with Zabeel Palace Street to Financial Centre Street. Scheduled for completion in 2027, the project includes the construction of 1,500 meters of bridges and tunnels, increasing the number of lanes from three to four in each direction. This will increase the street’s capacity from 9,000 vehicles per hour to 12,000 vehicles per hour, a 33% increase, and reduce travel time from 8 minutes to 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
The project includes the construction of three tunnels totaling 1,100 meters in length at the intersection of Al Mustaqbal Street and Trade Centre Street, and a 400-meter-long, two-lane bridge serving traffic coming from the Dubai World Trade Centre towards the intersection of Zabeel Palace Street and Al Mustaqbal Street.
The project also includes widening Al Mustaqbal Street from its intersection with Financial Centre Street to its intersection with Zabeel Palace Street, a distance of 3,500 meters, increasing the number of lanes from three to four in each direction, in addition to constructing connecting roads. Free to improve traffic flow at the intersection of Al Mustaqbal Street with both Exhibition Street and Commercial Center Street, and to construct a pedestrian bridge on Al Sukuk Street, and to develop the existing intersections on it.
