2026-08-31
On 2026-08-30 Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) opened a new 1,000-metre, two-lane bridge connecting Sheikh Rashid Road to 2nd December Street, with a capacity of around 3,000 vehicles per hour. The bridge improves the exit from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Al Satwa and Jumeirah and takes pressure off the World Trade Centre intersection, one of the busiest junctions in central Dubai. It is the fourth of five bridges in the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project and arrived ahead of its October 2026 schedule. When the final bridge opens, RTA expects the average delay at the roundabout to fall from 12 minutes to 90 seconds, a change that will be felt by more than 500,000 residents and visitors.
What opened on 2026-08-30
The new crossing carries traffic from Sheikh Rashid Road onto 2nd December Street, the artery that runs from the Trade Centre area through Al Satwa towards Jumeirah and La Mer. Drivers leaving Sheikh Zayed Road in the direction of Al Satwa and Jumeirah previously funnelled through the signalised World Trade Centre junction; the bridge lets that stream flow without stopping at the lights.
The structure is 1,000 metres long, carries two lanes and is designed for roughly 3,000 vehicles per hour. For the Trade Centre district, which hosts GITEX, Gulfood, Arab Health and dozens of other large exhibitions each year, that is a meaningful share of peak-hour demand moved off the surface junction and onto a free-flow link.
Key figures of the new bridge
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 1,000 metres |
| Lanes | 2 |
| Capacity | About 3,000 vehicles per hour |
| Route | Sheikh Rashid Road to 2nd December Street |
| Traffic served | From Sheikh Zayed Road towards Al Satwa and Jumeirah |
| Opened | 2026-08-30, ahead of the October 2026 schedule |
| Project | World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project: 5 bridges, about 5,000 m |
| Expected effect at the roundabout | Average delay down from 12 minutes to 90 seconds |
The World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project
The bridge is part of a scheme that replaces the old World Trade Centre roundabout with a set of free-flow links: five bridges with a combined length of about 5,000 metres. The sequence so far:
- The first two bridges, a combined 2,000 metres with capacity for around 6,000 vehicles per hour, opened traffic from 2nd December Street towards Sheikh Rashid Street and from Al Majlis Street towards Al Mustaqbal Street.
- On 2026-02-27 RTA opened a 1,000-metre, two-lane bridge linking Sheikh Zayed Road with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street (3,000 vehicles per hour), cutting that journey from 6 minutes to 1 minute.
- On 2026-08-30 the fourth bridge, from Sheikh Rashid Road to 2nd December Street, went into service.
- The fifth and final bridge, serving traffic from Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street, is expected in October 2026.
As of February 2026 the project was more than 60% complete, and Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said construction was progressing ahead of the approved programme. The 2026-08-30 opening confirms that: the bridge was originally listed for October 2026.
Part of a wider upgrade around the Trade Centre district
The roundabout scheme runs alongside the AED 633 million Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project, which widens Al Mustaqbal Street from three to four lanes in each direction and lifts its capacity from 6,600 to 8,800 vehicles per hour. Under that project RTA opened a 500-metre, two-lane bridge from Dubai World Trade Centre and One Central onto Al Mustaqbal Street on 2026-08-14, cutting exit times during major events from 10 minutes to 2. Three tunnels with a combined length of 1.5 km are due in February 2027, and RTA expects journeys along the corridor to drop from 13 to 6 minutes.
The cadence across the city is just as striking: on the same weekend RTA opened two new lanes on Emirates Road and awarded contracts worth AED 1.161 billion for the Al Meydan Street Development Project. Dubai is currently commissioning new road capacity almost every week.
What the new bridge means for businesses
The Trade Centre and Al Satwa area mixes exhibition venues, offices, hotels and dense street retail, so the practical effects are specific:
- Exhibitions and events. Companies exhibiting at Dubai World Trade Centre gain a faster build-up and breakdown route towards Jumeirah, and visitor traffic leaving Sheikh Zayed Road no longer queues through the signalised junction.
- Retail, cafes and clinics in Al Satwa and Jumeirah. Suppliers and delivery fleets coming off Sheikh Zayed Road reach 2nd December Street without the World Trade Centre lights, which stabilises delivery windows during peak hours.
- Offices on Sheikh Zayed Road. Staff living in Jumeirah, Al Badaa and Al Satwa get a shorter evening commute; the effect will grow when the fifth bridge opens in October 2026 and the average delay falls to 90 seconds.
- Contractors and suppliers. One more bridge and three tunnels are still to be delivered in this district by February 2027, which keeps demand alive for subcontracting, traffic management, precast and testing services.
How Atlant Capital can help
Atlant Capital supports companies that build their UAE presence around Dubai’s infrastructure and services economy. We handle company setup in a free zone or on the mainland, match licence activities to contracting, trading or event-services work, and assist with corporate bank account opening so a new entity can sign contracts and receive payments without delays. If your business serves the exhibition, hospitality or retail cluster around the Trade Centre district, we can structure the licence and residency visas in one workflow.
Conclusion
The 1,000-metre bridge from Sheikh Rashid Road to 2nd December Street is a small link with an outsized effect: it removes a signalised bottleneck between Sheikh Zayed Road and the Jumeirah coast and brings the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project to four bridges out of five, ahead of schedule. With the final bridge due in October 2026 and the Al Mustaqbal Street tunnels in February 2027, central Dubai’s busiest exhibition district is getting a road network sized for its event calendar. For businesses in the area, the planning assumption should be simple: access keeps getting faster, and the disruption phase is nearly over.
FAQ
What are the parameters of the new bridge to 2nd December Street?
The bridge opened by RTA on 2026-08-30 is 1,000 metres long, carries two lanes and is designed for around 3,000 vehicles per hour. It connects Sheikh Rashid Road to 2nd December Street and serves traffic coming from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Al Satwa and Jumeirah.
Which project does the new bridge belong to?
It is the fourth of five bridges in the World Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project, a scheme of about 5,000 metres of bridges that replaces the old roundabout with free-flow links. The fifth bridge, from Al Majlis Street towards 2nd December Street, is expected in October 2026.
How much will congestion fall at the World Trade Centre roundabout?
RTA expects the average delay at the roundabout to drop from 12 minutes to 90 seconds once the project is complete. More than 500,000 residents and visitors are expected to benefit from the improved junction.
What else is RTA building around the Trade Centre district?
The AED 633 million Al Mustaqbal Street Development Project widens the street from three to four lanes in each direction, raising capacity from 6,600 to 8,800 vehicles per hour. A 500-metre bridge from Dubai World Trade Centre onto Al Mustaqbal Street opened on 2026-08-14, and three tunnels with a combined length of 1.5 km are due in February 2027.
