If you’ve ever sat in traffic along Al Khaleej Street wondering if you’d make it home before midnight, this one’s for you. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has announced that 80% of the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel Project is now complete, marking a significant milestone in the wider Al Shindagha Corridor Improvement Project, a 13-kilometre development designed to ease congestion and improve connectivity. The payoff? A journey time reduction from 104 minutes down to just 16 minutes by 2030. That’s not a typo.
What Is the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel, Exactly?
The tunnel stretches 1,650 metres from the end of the Infinity Bridge ramp in Deira to the intersection of Al Khaleej Street and Al Wuheida Street. It features three lanes in each direction and will handle up to 12,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, ensuring uninterrupted traffic flow between Infinity Bridge and Deira.
According to RTA, the project will also convert roundabouts on Cairo Street and Al Wuheida Street into signalised intersections, improve Cairo Street, and connect the ramp from Dubai Islands directly to the new tunnel towards Al Mamzar.
This is not a minor road patch. It’s a full infrastructure overhaul of one of the city’s most congested corridors.
The Scale of the Al Shindagha Corridor Project
The Al Khaleej Street Tunnel is just one component of something much larger. RTA Director General Mattar Al Tayer confirmed the corridor extends along Sheikh Rashid Street, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street, covering 15 major intersections.
The project is estimated to serve one million people and includes key residential communities and major development projects, most notably Dubai Islands, Waterfront Market, Dubai Maritime City and Port Rashid.
To put the urgency of delivery in perspective: 14 teams are currently working around the clock on excavation support works, while four additional teams are continuing tunnel excavation, achieving a daily output of between 5,000 and 6,000 cubic metres, a figure set to rise to 8,500 cubic metres per day in the next phase. The project has also recorded nearly eight million safe work hours without any lost-time injuries since launch.
A total of 1,591 engineers, technicians and workers, supported by 221 machines and pieces of equipment, are currently deployed across the site.
A Bridge to Dubai Islands Is Also Coming
The Al Khaleej Street Tunnel is not the only thing the RTA has in the pipeline for this corridor. A 1,425-metre bridge linking Bur Dubai directly to Dubai Islands is also in progress. The bridge will feature four lanes in each direction with a total capacity of 16,000 vehicles per hour, rising 18.5 metres above Dubai Creek to allow marine traffic to pass through a 75-metre-wide navigational channel.
The project will also include dedicated pedestrian and cycling tracks equipped with lifts, along with two kilometres of surface roads connecting Dubai Islands and Bur Dubai to the existing road network.
Art Inside the Tunnel
Here’s something most people don’t know. As part of the Dubai Tunnels initiative, the Al Khaleej Street Tunnel will be transformed into a cohesive artwork that enhances Dubai’s aesthetic and urban landscape. Created by Emirati artist Maryam Hathboor, the design draws on a style inspired by banknote illustrations, portraying Dubai’s skyline through fine lines and rich detail. So yes, the commute gets faster and more interesting.
What This Means for Dubai Drivers
The upgraded road network is expected to significantly improve traffic flow for residents and visitors travelling through Abu Hail, Al Wuheida, Al Mamzar, Dubai Islands, Waterfront Market and Al Hamriya Port. With tunnel completion targeted for the fourth quarter of 2025 and the full project wrapping up by 2030, the city’s most frustrating commutes are on a countdown.
For anyone who has written off the idea of ever living or working near Deira because of the traffic, it might be time to rethink that.
Cover Image: Government of Dubai Media Office/Website
