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Why Dubai's First Al Khail corridor matters to Business Bay, Al Quoz, Barsha residents
The new corridor aims to ease pressure on Sheikh Zayed Road, but for many residents, its biggest impact could be making shorter daily journeys faster
- PUBLISHED: Wed 15 Jul 2026, 6:00 AM UPDATED: Wed 15 Jul 2026, 8:00 AM
For many people living or working in Business Bay, Barsha Heights and Al Quoz, the most frustrating part of the daily commute is not the distance. It is simply getting onto one of Dubai's busy highways.
Dubai hopes to change that with its newly approved First Al Khail Street Development Plan, which will introduce a 15-kilometre elevated corridor with three lanes in each direction, running parallel to Sheikh Zayed Road. Construction is set to begin in the third quarter of 2027 and finish by the fourth quarter of 2030.
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The new corridor will serve around 2.6 million people, improve access to Al Barsha, Al Quoz, Business Bay and Meydan, increase road capacity by around 9,000 vehicles an hour, and is expected to reduce travel time on Sheikh Zayed Road by 51 per cent during peak hours, according to Dubai authorities.
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A Khaleej Times analysis shows that First Al Khail Street serves a different purpose from Dubai's two major north-south highways.
While Sheikh Zayed Road is designed to move large volumes of traffic quickly across the city and Al Khail Road acts as a high-speed bypass, First Al Khail Street runs through several residential and commercial communities where many everyday journeys begin and end.
It passes areas such as Business Bay, Al Quoz, Barsha Heights, The Greens and Meydan, places where thousands of people live, work, study, receive deliveries and take taxis every day.
Unlike the city's highways, which mainly carry through traffic, First Al Khail connects neighbouring communities, making it an important route for shorter daily trips.
'My office is close, but getting there takes time'
For Mohammed Arif (name changed), a finance professional who lives in Business Bay and works in DIFC, the distance between home and office is short and the commute often is longer.
"My office is only a few kilometres away, but the biggest challenge is getting out of Business Bay during peak hours," he said.
"Sometimes the time spent just reaching Sheikh Zayed Road is longer than the actual drive. If another corridor improves access in and out of the area, it could make these short daily commutes much easier," said Arif.
Hoping for another option
A resident in Barsha Heights said that having another north-south route could also make a difference. "Most of us choose between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road depending on traffic," said Anjali, who commutes daily to Business Bay from Tecom.
"If there is another major corridor running between them, it should spread vehicles across more roads instead of everyone trying to use the same highways. Even saving 10 or 15 minutes every day would be a big improvement."
For Rizwan Ahmed, who works in Al Quoz, and lives in JLT, the issue is less about distance and more about bottlenecks.
"You leave the office on time, but then spend a long time just trying to reach the main roads," he said. "If this project improves connections around Al Quoz and nearby areas, commuting could become much less stressful."
A blessing for cabbies
Taxi drivers, who spend most of the day on Dubai's roads, believe the project could improve shorter trips between neighbouring communities, and arrive at the passengers doorstep early when booked online.
"Many passengers are travelling only between places like Business Bay, Al Quoz and Barsha," said Sajid Rasool, who has been driving a taxi in Dubai for more than a decade.
"Right now, we often end up taking Sheikh Zayed Road because it is the faster option. If First Al Khail becomes a free-flowing corridor, many of these shorter trips may no longer need the highways. It could also help spread traffic across the road network."
Delivery riders also said that they sometimes choose longer highway routes because stopping at multiple traffic signals can take more time during busy periods. "A lot of our deliveries are between Business Bay, Al Quoz, JLT and Barsha," said Shahid Hussain, who delivers food across central Dubai.
"Sometimes we use Sheikh Zayed Road or Al Khail Road even if the distance is longer because it helps us avoid delays at signals. If First Al Khail becomes a smoother route, it could help us reach customers faster during peak hours."
SM Ayaz Zakir is a Senior Correspondent with a flair for extraordinary stories. His playground? Every corner of the UAE. He often ventures into remote corners of the country to capture compelling news and human interest stories.