Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened an 800-metre tunnel with four lanes in each direction as part of the Umm Suqeim Street Development Project, which extends from the intersection with Al Khail Road to the intersection with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. The project forms part of RTA’s ongoing efforts to upgrade road infrastructure in line with Dubai’s sustained urban and population growth, while enhancing traffic flow. It serves several residential and development communities with a combined population exceeding one million.

His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said: “The Umm Suqeim Street Development Project extends from the intersection with Al Khail Road to the intersection with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, covering a distance of 4.6 km. The works included upgrading the intersection of Umm Suqeim Street with Al Barsha South Street, near Kings’ School, where an 800-metre-long underpass with four lanes in each direction was constructed, in addition to a signalised surface-level intersection.”

“The completed project is part of a comprehensive plan to develop the Umm Suqeim–Al Qudra corridor, which extends from the intersection with Jumeirah Street to the intersection with Emirates Road, spanning a total of 16 km. This development is considered one of the most important strategic projects for developing transverse east–west roads to enhance connectivity with vertical north–south roads. The completion of the project complements RTA’s efforts to upgrade this corridor,” he added.

Al Tayer continued: “The project enhances connectivity between four strategic corridors in Dubai: Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and Emirates Road. It increases the capacity of Umm Suqeim Street to 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, improves traffic flow, and reduces travel time between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Al Khail Road by 61% from 9.7 minutes to 3.8 minutes. It also serves several residential and development areas, including Al Barsha South 1, 2, and 3, Dubai Hills, Arjan, and Dubai Science Park, home to a population of over one million.”

Smart Technologies
His Excellency, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, explained that RTA deployed the latest smart technologies to monitor progress on Umm Suqeim Street Development Project. Drones were used to analyse construction data using artificial intelligence, enhancing operational efficiency on-site, accelerating decision-making, and providing real-time, highly accurate information. These technologies also doubled on-site presence, reduced the duration of field surveys by 60%, and improved overall monitoring. Additionally, time-lapse imaging was employed to continuously track construction progress, increasing monitoring efficiency by 40%.

Completed Projects
It is worth noting that in 2013, RTA completed Phase I of Umm Suqeim Street Development Project, which covered the section between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road. This phase included the construction of two bridges, each comprising three lanes in both directions, the first crossing the eastern street parallel to Al Asayel Street, and the second crossing the western street parallel to First Al Khail Road. The phase also included the development of two signalised intersections at the intersections of Umm Suqeim Street with Al Asayel Street and First Al Khail Road, in addition to three pedestrian bridges along Umm Suqeim Street to ensure safe crossing between Al Quoz and Al Barsha areas.

In 2020, as part of the bridges and roads project for Dubai Hills Mall, RTA inaugurated a major bridge on Umm Suqeim Street at its intersection with the entrance to Dubai Hills and Al Barsha South. The bridge spans 500 metres, features four lanes in each direction, and offers a capacity of 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.