Dubai embarks on major expansion of road network

• 80km Fourth Corridor project
• 72 bridges and 17 tunnels
• First phase will cost $950m

Dubai is building roads to add capacity between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, while improving links to the new airport and Etihad Rail.

“We have approved the New Fourth Corridor project, spanning 80 kilometres, as a strategic addition to Dubai’s road network,” the state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The roads will run alongside Sheikh Zayed/Al Ittihad Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road, which connect the seven emirates.

The project will include 72 bridges, 17 tunnels and 45 stormwater-drainage culverts. It is designed to support logistics traffic and will pass several landmarks including Al Maktoum International Airport, Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve, Al Wohoosh Desert Conservation Reserve and the Etihad Rail route, as well as residential and development areas.

The first phase will run nearly 30km from Al Shanouf Road in Sharjah to Dubai-Al Ain Road, at a cost of about AED3.5 billion ($953 million), said Mattar Al Tayer, director general of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority.

It will comprise 12 lanes and carry up to 24,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, serving about 600,000 people. It is expected to cut travel time by 60 percent to 14 minutes.

Al Tayer said the second phase will extend 50km from Dubai-Al Ain Road to Al Faya Road in Abu Dhabi. It will have 12 lanes in both directions and a capacity of 24,000 vehicles per hour.

This phase will reduce journey times by 52 percent to 24 minutes and serve more than 3 million people, he said.

The cost of the second phase was not given.

Trade through the Hatta Customs Crossing – the overland trade and travel gateway between the UAE and Oman – grew sharply in the first half of 2026 after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Across the GCC, trucking companies have scaled up lorry deployment, with firms opting for the land route for inter-GCC trade.

Dubai awarded a AED2 billion contract in July to develop the Latifa bint Hamdan Corridor as part of its 2040 urban master plan.

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In April, just under two months after the start of the Iran war, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, said the emirate would not stop work on its projects and would accelerate the pace of development.

“We remain committed to a clear development agenda,” he said.

The UAE has already accelerated plans to route more trade away from the disrupted Strait of Hormuz. They include new and revamped energy pipelines, road and rail networks, as well as the expansion of the Fujairah and Khor Fakkan ports on the Gulf of Oman.