Sheikh Mohammed approves Dhs3.7bn Dubai road expansion plan

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has approved a five-year plan to transform the emirate’s internal roads network, according to Emirates News Agency.

The plan, which is being spearheaded by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), encompasses 21 projects in 12 residential, commercial, and industrial areas. It includes 634 km of new roads, which will cost $1bn (Dhs3.7bn).

The road expansion strategy aligns with the Dubai Urban Master Plan 2040, which forecasts that the city’s population will reach 5.8 million by 2040 from the current 3.8 million.

“The Five-Year Internal Roads Development Plan covers 12 areas with urbanisation rates ranging from 30 per cent to 80 per cent,” said Mattar Al Tayer, director general, chairman of RTA.

Al Tayer said next year, the RTA will construct internal roads in Nad El Sheba 3 and Al Amardi, serving the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment project, which includes 482 housing units. Furthermore, the road authority will build roads in Hatta, which will also serve as a Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment project with 100 housing units.

RTA plans to construct 92 km of internal roads in Nadd Hessa and Al Awir 1 in 2026. The following year, the authority will develop 45 km of roads in Al Athbah, Mushrif, and Hatta and another 14 km in Warsan 3 (Industrial Area).

Dubai will commence one of the longest internal road projects, which will extend more than 284 km and cover three communities: Al Awir 1, Wadi Al Amardi, and Hind 3, in 2028. Construction will continue in 2029, with 200 km of internal roads to be constructed in Hind 4 and Al Yalayis 5.

Between 2011 and the end of last year, RTA constructed internal roads in 28 residential and industrial areas, totalling 83 km across 17 regions. Among the completed projects in 2023 and 2024 are road developments in Al Warqa 4, Al Qusais Industrial, Margham, Lehbab, Al Lisaili, and Hatta (specifically in Suhaila, Saeir, and Al Salami).

Roadworks are currently underway in Jebel Ali Industrial, Nazwa, the Tolerance District in Al Khawaneej 2, Al Warqa, Nad Al Sheba 1, and Al Awir.

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