Dubai: RTA awards Phase II of Hessa Street project to cut travel time to 5 minutes
Bridges, tunnel and ramps reshape 3 km corridor
DUBAI – In line with directives to strengthen Dubai’s road infrastructure in step with rapid urban growth and rising population, the Roads and Transport Authority has awarded the contract for Phase II of the Hessa Street Development.
The move comes as Phase I nears completion and prepares to open key components in April. Together, the two phases represent one of the most comprehensive upgrades along the busy east-west corridor linking Al Khail Road and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.
The project spans a 3 km stretch of Hessa Street between the two major highways. It will upgrade three principal intersections, deliver bridges extending 8,835 metres in total and construct a 480-metre tunnel, while improving entry and exit points along several connecting roads. Once complete, the scheme will double the road’s capacity and significantly ease congestion for hundreds of thousands of residents.
Phase II scope
Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, said Phase II complements Phase I, which is scheduled for full completion in the first quarter of 2026.
Phase II extends from Al Khail Road to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and includes a major overhaul of the Al Khail Road-Hessa Street interchange. Hessa Street will be expanded from two lanes to four lanes in each direction. The works feature grade-separated collector roads to manage loop movements, a two-lane second-level direct ramp serving traffic from Hessa Street to Al Khail Road towards Abu Dhabi, and a third-level two-lane flyover facilitating traffic from Al Khail Road to Hessa Street in the direction of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.
The total bridge length within this interchange reaches 2,215 metres. Once upgraded, the interchange is expected to accommodate 18,200 vehicles per hour. A 525-metre, two-lane braided ramp will also be constructed to remove traffic overlap between Al Khail Road and Al Khamila Street, with a capacity of about 2,800 vehicles per hour.
Further improvements target the Al Khamila Street junction with Al Khail Road and Al Asayel Street. Works include a 1,650-metre second-level directional ramp serving traffic from Al Khamila Street to Al Khail Road towards Sharjah, with two lanes. In addition, a 780-metre bridge will provide entry to and exit from Al Khamila Street to Jumeirah Village Circle, with three lanes in each direction.
Elevated link ramps extending 1,050 metres will serve movements from Al Khamila Street to Al Khail Road towards Abu Dhabi. The upgraded junction is projected to handle approximately 16,800 vehicles per hour.
Another element is an 885-metre direct elevated ramp with two lanes serving traffic from Hessa Street to Al Barsha South 1. A 1,050-metre second-level direct directional ramp will facilitate traffic from Jumeirah Village Circle towards Al Barsha South. The intersection’s capacity will reach around 11,200 vehicles per hour. A 680-metre directional two-lane ramp from Jumeirah Village Circle to Hessa Street in the direction of Al Khail Road will generate capacity of 16,800 vehicles per hour.
The scheme also includes constructing a 480-metre, two-lane tunnel serving traffic from Jumeirah Village Circle towards Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. Al Hadaeq Street will be widened over 2.5 km from its junction with Hessa Street to the entrance of Dubai Science Park, upgraded into a dual carriageway with three lanes in each direction. Existing roundabouts along the corridor will be converted into signalised intersections with an estimated capacity of 4,400 vehicles per hour.
Capacity boost
The roads covered under Phase II currently accommodate approximately half a million trips daily. Following completion, capacity on Hessa Street will increase by 100 percent, from 4,000 vehicles per hour in each direction to 8,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.
Journey time along the corridor is set to fall sharply from 24 minutes to just five minutes. The project serves 10 major residential and development areas, including Jumeirah Village Circle, Arjan, Dubai Science Park, Al Barsha South, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Jumeirah Islands, Barsha Heights, The Greens and Emirates Hills. The total number of beneficiaries is estimated at around 650,000 residents.
Beyond private vehicle traffic, the development integrates multimodal mobility features designed to support first- and last-mile connectivity and promote alternative transport modes.
Phase I works
Phase I of the Hessa Street Development included upgrades to four major intersections at Sheikh Zayed Road, First Al Khail Street, Al Asayel Street and Al Khail Road. Hessa Street was widened from two lanes to four lanes in each direction, doubling capacity to 8,000 vehicles per hour.
In December 2024, RTA opened a key two-lane bridge extending 1,000 metres as part of Phase I. The bridge serves traffic from Hessa Street to Al Khail Road, enabling free-flow connectivity towards the city centre and Dubai International Airport. Travel time between the two corridors was reduced from 15 minutes to three minutes.
Works continue at the Hessa Street–First Al Khail Street intersection, where the existing bridge is being widened from three lanes to four lanes in each direction, alongside traffic improvements at the signalised junction. Parallel works are under way at the Hessa Street–Al Asayel Street intersection, expanding the existing bridge from two lanes in each direction to four lanes in each direction along Hessa Street, together with enhancements to the signal-controlled junction.
Active mobility
Cycling and e-scooter infrastructure forms a central component of both phases. Phase I delivers a 13.5 km dedicated cycling and e-scooter track along Hessa Street, linking Al Sufouh and Dubai Hills. The route serves residential districts such as Al Barsha and Barsha Heights and integrates with Dubai Internet City Metro Station, strengthening connections to commercial and service destinations.
The track includes two architecturally distinctive cycling and pedestrian bridges. One spans Sheikh Zayed Road and the other crosses Al Khail Road. Each bridge measures five metres in width, with three metres allocated for cycling and e-scooter use and two metres for pedestrians. The corridor is designed to accommodate approximately 5,200 users per hour.
Phase II expands this focus with a 10.4 km cycling and e-scooter track linking Dubai Hills and Dubai Motor City. The new route will serve Al Barsha South, Arjan, Dubai Science Park and Motor City, creating a continuous network across key communities.
Together, the phased upgrades along Hessa Street mark a substantial transformation of one of Dubai’s busiest urban corridors, integrating grade-separated interchanges, high-capacity ramps, tunnels and dedicated active mobility tracks into a unified transport spine designed to support sustained development across the emirate.