Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has awarded a contract for the development of the intersection connecting Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street, Al Awir Road, and Al Manama Street.
The upgrade of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street is included in RTA’s broader initiatives.
The project aims to expand the street’s capacity to accommodate expected traffic growth in the area.
Construction will include 2,300m of bridges, widening of lanes, paving of service roads in both directions along key routes, and establishing new access points to serve adjacent residential and development zones.
RTA expects the works to be completed in the third quarter of 2028.
Once complete, authorities anticipate a rise in the corridor’s capacity from 5,200 vehicles per hour to 14,400 vehicles per hour in both directions.
Officials also expect a reduction in travel times along the route - from 20 minutes to five minutes - when using the upgraded intersection.
The project sits within RTA’s wider strategy for road improvements across Dubai.
RTA board of executive directors chair Mattar Al Tayer said: “Undertaking this project is part of RTA’s master plan to develop the roads, bridges, crossings, and tunnels network to accommodate growing traffic volumes, enhance mobility, and ensure smoother traffic flow across Dubai.
"This plan supports the needs of urban expansion and population growth. The project serves residential and development areas with a combined population of residents and visitors exceeding 600,000.”
Earlier phases saw the completion of construction on a grade-separated interchange at Latifa bint Hamdan Street near Global Village and a signalised roundabout at Al Qudra Street. A surface-level signalised junction was also built at Hessa Street.
RTA also developed a four-lane carriageway for each direction over a 25km extension from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al Yalayis Street roundabout. This included upgrades at several surrounding intersections.
These initiatives form part of a set of temporary measures that are scheduled for future enhancement.
Further work under this scheme included improvements between Dubai-Al Ain Road and Academic City roundabout, extending for about 3km.
The improvements included construction of two bridges at the Dubai Silicon Oasis crossing, each measuring 120m with four lanes per direction and an overall capacity of 14,400 vehicles per hour.
Al Tayer added: “The project includes converting the existing roundabout into a grade-separated intersection that enables free-flowing traffic movements in all directions. The works involve constructing main bridges on Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street with four lanes in each direction, along with building ramps for right- and left-turn movements, each comprising two lanes.
“The project also includes constructing a bridge at the intersection of Al Awir Road with Emirates Road to serve traffic heading towards Al Awir and Sharjah, as well as developing parallel service roads along Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street and Al Awir Road in both directions to provide safe access points serving the surrounding development areas.”
Additionally, a surface-level intersection below these bridges now accommodates traffic across 20 lanes with capacity for up to 8,000 vehicles per hour, supporting flow towards Dubai Silicon Oasis and Zayed University, as well as movement around Academic City roundabout.
