One of Dubai’s most congested corridors has undergone a dramatic transformation, with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) completing the full scope of works on Hessa Street Development Project between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road.
The result is one of the city’s most visible traffic success stories: travel time between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road has fallen from 15 minutes to just 4 minutes, while road capacity has doubled to 16,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.
For tens of thousands of daily commuters who rely on Hessa Street, the difference is immediate: shorter journeys and smoother traffic flow.
Hessa Street is one of Dubai’s most strategic roads, linking major highways including Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road and onward routes to Emirates Road. It also serves neighbourhoods such as Al Sufouh 2, Al Barsha, Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), Dubai Hills, Jumeirah Lakes Towers and surrounding communities.
With the population in areas served by the corridor expected to exceed 640,000 by 2030, the need for long-term infrastructure expansion had become urgent.
The project expanded Hessa Street from two lanes to four lanes in each direction across a 4.5km stretch from Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Khail Road, effectively doubling throughput and future-proofing the corridor for rising traffic demand.
Four intersections unlock traffic
Rather than simply widening the roads, RTA redesigned the route’s biggest choke points by developing four major intersections.
From Sheikh Zayed Road, RTA built a new two-lane directional ramp above Dubai Metro’s Red Line. This allows vehicles turning right from Sheikh Zayed Road to eastbound Hessa Street to bypass traffic signals and merge directly towards inland districts.
The existing Hessa Street bridge connecting to First Al Khail Street was widened from three lanes to four lanes in each direction, easing a major pinch point where traffic previously narrowed.
Signal-controlled junction improvements below the bridge also help optimise vehicle movement, reducing waiting times and increasing throughput. More
