If your daily drive runs anywhere near Nad Al Sheba, Meydan or the newer communities off Al Khail Road, this one is for you. The RTA has awarded the contract for the Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor, a 12km east-west route that is being built to take a serious chunk of time off journeys across this side of the city. The number the RTA is leading with says it plainly: a stretch that takes 33 minutes today is expected to take 15. Here’s what the project includes, who will benefit, and when drivers can expect to notice the difference.
Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor Will Reduce 33 minutes to 15
اطّلعوا على أخبار #هيئة_الطرق_و_المواصلات خلال الأسبوع:
— RTA (@rta_dubai) July 18, 2026
أكد معالي مطر الطاير المدير العام ورئيس مجلس المديرين في هيئة الطرق والمواصلات، أن عهد الاتحاد يمثل محطة وطنية مفصلية في تاريخ دولة الإمارات، كما أرست الهيئة عقد مشروع تطوير محور لطيفة بنت حمدان بطول 12 كيلومتراً بتكلفة 2… pic.twitter.com/Z2wtB8g0gN
The clearest win is the run between Umm Al Sheif Street and Emirates Road. Right now that drive averages 33 minutes. The RTA expects the completed Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor to reduce travel time to 15 minutes. That will cut travel time by 54 percent on one of Dubai’s busiest east-west corridors. The corridor also spreads traffic away from roads you already know get heavy at peak hours, including Al Khail Road, Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Road, the Dubai to Al Ain Road and Umm Suqeim Street.
Details at a glance
- What it is: the Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor Development Project, a new 12km strategic route by the RTA
- Cost: AED 2 billion
- Completion: end of 2028
- Time saved: Umm Al Sheif Street to Emirates Road drops from 33 minutes to 15
- Roads it connects: Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Al Meydan Street, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street and Emirates Road
- Capacity: around 16,000 vehicles per hour across both directions
- Daily use: more than 130,000 trips a day
- Who benefits: roughly 650,000 residents and visitors
What’s Included in the Project?
ما القادم في رحلة تطوير طرق #دبي؟
— RTA (@rta_dubai) July 14, 2026
المزيد من المشاريع الاستراتيجية التي تدعم النمو المستدام وتُحدث فرقاً. ومن أحدثها مشروع تطوير شارع لطيفة بنت حمدان، الذي أرست #هيئة_الطرق_و_المواصلات عقده بطول 12 كيلومتراً وبتكلفة ملياري درهم، ليشكّل محوراً استراتيجياً يعزز الربط بين أهم الطرق… pic.twitter.com/GGyuwxJ4pd
This is not a repaint-and-restripe job. The Latifa bint Hamdan corridor adds real structure to move cars over and under the pinch points instead of through them. The build includes seven bridges running a combined 2,300 meters and eight tunnels covering 900 meters. Latifa bint Hamdan Street itself widens to four lanes in each direction. Multi-level free-flow interchanges and loop ramps let you move between the major roads without stopping at the usual intersections, which is where a lot of the time saving comes from. Put together, it lifts east-west road capacity across Dubai by about 12 percent.
Who will benefit the most
If you live in or regularly drive through any of these areas, the Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor project is designed to improve your journey:
- Nad Al Sheba
- Al Barari
- Dubai Hills
- District One
- Mohammed Bin Rashid Gardens
- Living Legends
- Majan
- Global Village
It also serves the residential, commercial and industrial pockets along Latifa bint Hamdan Street and Al Meydan Street, so this is as much about the school run and the work commute as it is about weekend trips to Global Village.
Good news if you cycle
يأتي تنفيذ مشروع تطوير محور لطيفة بنت حمدان، في إطار جهود #هيئة_الطرق_و_المواصلات لدعم محاور الطرق الاستراتيجية التي تشهد ارتفاعاً في الكثافات المرورية، مثل شارع الخيل، وشارع دبي ـ العين، وشارع أم سقيم، وشارع الشيخ محمد زايد، بما يسهم في توزيع الحركة المرورية وإدارة الطلب، كما… pic.twitter.com/mtYfPul6l1
— RTA (@rta_dubai) July 12, 2026
The project adds 12.5km of cycling track that plugs into Dubai’s existing network. Once connected, it will form part of a longer cycling route from Al Qudra to Jumeirah. That means a ride many cyclists currently complete in sections will become one continuous route.
WOW Emirates Expert tip: If you regularly travel between Umm Al Sheif and Emirates Road, watch for RTA diversion notices as construction progresses. Building a corridor this size means lane shifts along the way, so the short-term drive may get fiddly before it gets faster. Worth planning school-run timings with a little buffer through 2027 and 2028.
Why Dubai is building it now
The RTA frames this as getting ahead of demand rather than reacting to it. With new communities filling in across Nad Al Sheba and MBR City and the population still climbing, the corridor is meant to keep this side of the city moving as more cars join the road. It also sits inside the bigger plans you have seen named before: the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.
For context, this builds on earlier upgrades to Latifa bint Hamdan Street and Umm Al Sheif Street. An earlier phase already cut the Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Khail Road link from 12 minutes to four. The new corridor is designed to finish joining those pieces into one continuous route.
Planning your wider Dubai travel? See our guides to Etihad Rail’s new Dubai station and Dubai airport parking.
FAQs: Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor
What is the Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor?
It is a new 12km road corridor by Dubai’s RTA that connects six major roads across the city, built to speed up east-west journeys and ease congestion on nearby highways.
When will it be finished?
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2028.
How much time will it save?
The drive between Umm Al Sheif Street and Emirates Road is expected to fall from 33 minutes to 15, a cut of 54 percent.
How much does it cost?
The contract has been awarded at AED 2 billion.
Which roads does the Latifa bint Hamdan corridor connect?
Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road, Al Meydan Street, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Sheikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street and Emirates Road.
Is there anything for cyclists on the Latifa bint Hamdan corridor?
Yes. The project adds 12.5km of cycling track that connects to the existing network and forms part of an Al Qudra to Jumeirah route.
Images: Official websites
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