Major Traffic Relief Coming as Two New Bridges Open in Early 2026

The initial bridges will carry traffic from 2nd December Street toward Al Majlis Street and Sheikh Rashid Street – the first step in replacing the old roundabout with a surface-level intersection. The wider programme includes five bridges stretching 5,000 metres, designed to ease bottlenecks where Sheikh Zayed Road meets several major streets, including Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed and Zabeel Palace Street.

More openings will follow throughout 2026. A direct link from Sheikh Zayed Road to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street is set for March, with two additional bridges scheduled for October to streamline movement from Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Majlis Street toward 2nd December Street. Once complete, the upgrade is expected to double the junction’s capacity, cut average delays from 12 minutes to around 90 seconds, and reduce key journeys that currently take minutes to roughly a single minute.

Nearby, Al Mustaqbal Street is undergoing its own transformation. The corridor will expand to four lanes in each direction by 2027, supported by three tunnels, a new bridge, and upgraded junctions from Financial Centre Street to Zabeel Palace Street. Together, the two projects add seven bridges and three tunnels across 6.5 kilometres, improving access to areas such as DIFC, Downtown Dubai, Emirates Towers and the Museum of the Future – a network expected to serve more than a million people once fully completed.