Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has won a contract to construct the first phase of the Latifa Bint Hamdan Street development project in Dubai.

The contract value is between $110m and $275m, according to L&T’s contract classification.

This project covers 12.2 kilometres of road network from its intersection with Al-Khail Road to Emirates Road.

The project also includes 8.1km of bridges and will add capacity for about 16,000 vehicles an hour in both directions.

The scope also involves widening the two-lane dual carriageway to four lanes in each direction.

The project is scheduled for completion within 36 months.

The contract was awarded by Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA).

The project is part of the RTA’s estimated AED16bn ($4.3bn) 2024-27 Main Roads Development Plan, which includes 22 projects across Dubai’s road network, as announced in November 2024.

The development plan includes the construction of new roads and bridges to alleviate traffic congestion at several key locations across 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 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 needs within a 20-minute walk or bike ride. This goal will be achieved by developing integrated service centres with the necessary facilities and by increasing population density around mass transit stations.