Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the Al-Wasl Road upgrade project, spanning 15 kilometres (km) from the intersection with Umm Suqeim Street to the junction with 2nd December Street.

The scheme includes upgrading six intersections – Al-Thanya, Al-Manara, Umm Al-Sheif, Umm Amara, Al-Orouba and Al-Safa streets – along with upgrading Al-Thanya Street and constructing five tunnels totalling 3.8km.

A new tunnel will be built at the intersection with Al-Manara Street. It will consist of three lanes and split into two routes: two lanes from Sheikh Zayed Road to Jumeirah Street and two lanes from Sheikh Zayed Road to Umm Suqeim Street, with a total capacity of 4,500 vehicles per hour.

The project also includes a 750m-long tunnel on Umm Al-Sheif Street, comprising two lanes from Sheikh Zayed Road to Jumeirah Street, accommodating up to 3,200 vehicles per hour.

A tunnel will be constructed at the intersection of Al-Wasl Road with Umm Amara Street, featuring two lanes in each direction, with a total length of 700m and a combined capacity of 6,400 vehicles per hour.

The road will also be widened from two to three lanes in each direction.

The project is expected to reduce travel times along Al-Wasl Road by 50% and increase capacity from 8,000 to 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.

Planning for growth

In March 2021, the government launched the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan. 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 forms part of Dubai’s plans to improve residents’ quality of life by cutting journey times, as outlined in the policy.

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