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Dubai opens new Al Qudra bridge as project to cut traffic delays from 7 minutes to 1
The project will improve links to major communities including Arabian Ranches, Mudon, DAMAC Hills and Dubai Motor City and serve 400,000 residents
- PUBLISHED: Sun 9 Aug 2026, 11:40 AM UPDATED: Sun 9 Aug 2026, 12:23 PM
Waiting time at a key Dubai intersection will be cut by 85 per cent, from nearly seven minutes to one, as upgrades to Al Qudra Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street boost capacity from 7,800 to 19,400 vehicles per hour.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Sunday opened a new four-lane bridge at the intersection as part of the Al Qudra Road Development Project. The 700-metre bridge, on the southern side of the intersection, serves traffic travelling along Al Qudra Road towards Al Qudra City.
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Its opening completes the main traffic configuration at the intersection after the opposite bridge, serving motorists travelling from Al Qudra City towards Umm Suqeim, opened in February.
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More improvements are due in the fourth quarter of 2026, when RTA will open two side-ramp bridges designed to allow traffic to move in all directions without disrupting the main carriageways.
A 500-metre bridge will carry traffic from Al Qudra Road onto Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street towards Jebel Ali, while a 900-metre bridge will serve motorists heading towards Downtown Dubai and Dubai International Airport.
The project also includes three kilometres of service roads on both sides of Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street to improve access to surrounding developments.
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said the Al Qudra Road project was part of Dubai’s push to expand road infrastructure in line with population and urban growth.
Overall, the project involves upgrading several intersections, constructing four kilometres of bridges and expanding and developing an 11.6km stretch of Al Qudra Road.
Once completed, the improvements are expected to cut journey time along the corridor by 70 per cent, from 9.4 minutes to 2.8 minutes. RTA said the project serves residential and development areas used by more than 400,000 residents and visitors.
Al Qudra Road is a major east-west corridor linking residential communities and key arterial roads across Dubai. The project stretches from the intersection with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road to Emirates Road.
Among the communities and developments served are Arabian Ranches 1 and 2, Dubai Motor City, Dubai Studio City, Akoya, Mudon, DAMAC Hills and The Sustainable City.
RTA said the upgrades would improve traffic flow between Emirates Road and Al Qudra City, ease congestion and improve road safety.
Earlier this year, RTA opened a 1.2km bridge with four lanes in each direction at the intersection of Al Qudra Road and the road linking Arabian Ranches with Dubai Studio City.
In May, RTA also opened improvements at the intersection of Emirates Road and Al Qudra Road, including a new service road towards Jebel Ali and a free-flow loop ramp for traffic travelling from the city centre via Emirates Road towards Al Qudra City.
Another free-flow ramp is scheduled to open this month for motorists travelling from Jebel Ali via Emirates Road towards Umm Suqeim through Al Qudra Road.
RTA is also adding lanes on both sides of Emirates Road over a combined 4.8km stretch to improve access to surrounding developments.
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