Beijing-headquartered China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) has won a contract to develop an integrated road network project in Dubai that will upgrade Umm Suqeim Street from its intersection with Jumeirah Street to Al-Khail Road.

The project is being developed by Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).

The project will add six intersections at Jumeirah Street, Al-Wasl Road, Sheikh Zayed Road, First Al-Khail Street, Al-Asayel Street and Al-Khail Road.

The scope of work also includes the construction of four bridges and three tunnels, with a total combined length of 4.1 kilometres.

The project will also establish a direct link between the Mall of the Emirates metro station and nearby residential communities.

The RTA announced plans to develop the project in June.

Mattar Al-Tayer, director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA, said: “The upgrade of Umm Suqeim Street, from its intersection with Jumeirah Street to Al-Khail Road, forms part of a masterplan to develop the Umm Suqeim-Al Qudra corridor.”

He added: “The project enhances connectivity across four strategic transport corridors in Dubai – Sheikh Zayed Road, Al-Khail Road, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road. It will increase Umm Suqeim Street’s capacity to 16,000 vehicles an hour in both directions, significantly improve traffic flow and reduce travel time between Jumeirah Street and Al-Khail Road from 20 minutes to just six.”

In November last year, the RTA outlined plans to improve urban mobility and infrastructure throughout the emirate.

The estimated AED16bn ($4.3bn) 2024-27 Main Roads Development Plan involves adding 22 projects across Dubai’s road network.

The development plan includes the construction of new roads and bridges designed to alleviate traffic congestion in several key locations in Dubai.

Planning for growth

The Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan was launched in March 2021. Its launch referenced studies indicating that the emirate’s population will reach 5.8 million by 2040, up from 3.3 million in 2020. The daytime population is set to increase from 4.5 million in 2020 to 7.8 million in 2040.

In December 2022, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved the 20-Minute City Policy as part of the second phase of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

In addition to the road projects, the RTA’s Dubai Metro Blue Line extension also forms part of plans to improve residents’ quality of life by cutting journey times, as outlined in the policy.

The policy aims for residents to have 80% of their daily requirements met within a 20-minute journey time, on foot or by bicycle. This goal will be achieved by developing integrated service centres with key facilities and increasing the population density around mass transit stations.