His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), announced that 70 percent of the Umm Suqeim Street Improvement Project has been completed. This project extends from the intersection with Al Khail Road to the intersection with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. It is part of a master development plan for the Umm Suqeim–Al Qudra corridor, which stretches from Jumeirah Street to Emirates Road, covering a total distance of 16 km. The project serves numerous residential and development areas, hosting a population exceeding one million residents.
Al Tayer made these remarks during a site tour to inspect the project’s progress, which is being implemented in line with the leadership’s directives to enhance road infrastructure, support Dubai’s ongoing urban expansion, and accommodate population growth. The project ultimately aims to improve traffic flow and mobility throughout the city, according to a statement.
During the tour, Al Tayer was briefed on the completed phases of the Umm Suqeim Street Improvement Project, which spans 4.6 km from the intersection with Al Khail Road to the intersection with Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. The works include the development of the Umm Suqeim–Al Barsha South intersection, located near Kings’ School. This features the construction of an 800-metre tunnel with four lanes in each direction along Umm Suqeim Street, alongside a signalised surface-level intersection.
Enhancing road integration
Al Tayer added: “Umm Suqeim–Al Qudra Corridor Improvement Project is one of RTA’s key strategic transverse (east-west) traffic corridors, designed to enhance integration with vertical (north-south) road corridors. The project complements RTA’s efforts to improve connectivity between four major arterial roads in Dubai: Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, and Emirates Road. It is designed to increase the corridor’s capacity to 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, improve traffic flow, and reduce travel time between Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and Al Khail Road by 61 percent from 9.7 minutes to just 3.8 minutes. The corridor serves multiple major residential and development zones, including Al Barsha South 1, 2, and 3, Dubai Hills, Arjan, and Dubai Science Park, accommodating a total population exceeding one million residents.”
Smart technology
Al Tayer was also briefed on the deployment of smart technologies for monitoring road projects across the emirate. Drones are being utilised to capture and analyse project progress data, with artificial intelligence employed to track construction milestones and performance indicators. This integrated approach has enhanced operational efficiency on-site, accelerated decision-making processes, and enabled the provision of real-time, high-precision data. The adoption of these technologies has also resulted in a 100 percent increase in field presence and a 60 percent reduction in the time required for site surveys. In parallel, time-lapse imaging systems are being used to continuously monitor construction activities, contributing to a 40 percent improvement in overall project monitoring efficiency.
Completed projects
In 2013, RTA completed Phase I of the Umm Suqeim Street Improvement Project, covering the section between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road. The works included the construction of two bridges, each featuring three lanes in both directions. The first bridge crosses the eastern street parallel to Al Asayel Street, while the second crosses the western street parallel to First Al Khail Street. The project also included two signalised intersections at Umm Suqeim Street’s junctions with Al Asayel Street and First Al Khail Street, along with three pedestrian bridges to facilitate safe crossing between Al Quoz and Al Barsha.
In 2020, as part of the bridges and roads development project for Dubai Hills Mall, RTA opened a main bridge along Umm Suqeim Street at the intersection with the entrance to Dubai Hills and Al Barsha South. The 500-metre bridge has four lanes in each direction and a capacity of 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.
