Dubai opens Al Khaleej Street Tunnel in Al Shindagha corridor buildout

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority opened a 1,650-metre tunnel under Al Khaleej Street on November 8, 2026. It runs from the end of the Infinity Bridge ramp in Deira to the Al Khaleej and Al Wuheida street intersection, with three lanes in each direction and capacity for 12,000 vehicles an hour.

The tunnel is one segment of Al Shindagha Corridor, a 13-kilometre project along Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street that began in 2016. RTA estimates the finished corridor will serve about one million people and cut a cross-city trip from 104 minutes to 16 by 2030.

Why it matters

Deira and Bur Dubai drivers get a free-flowing route from Infinity Bridge to Al Mamzar; RTA projects the 104-minute cross-city trip falls to 16.

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Key Indicators

1,650 m

Tunnel length

Runs from the Infinity Bridge ramp in Deira to Al Khaleej and Al Wuheida streets.

12,000

Vehicles per hour

Combined capacity across three lanes in each direction.

13 km

Corridor length

Spans Sheikh Rashid Road, Al Mina Street, Al Khaleej Street and Cairo Street.

Intersections reworked

Number of junctions the full corridor project covers.

16 min

Projected 2030 journey time

Down from 104 minutes today, per RTA.

1 million

People served

RTA's estimate of residents and visitors the corridor will reach.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Mattar Al Tayer

Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, Roads and Transport Authority

In office; announced the tunnel opening

Organizations Involved

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)

Government transport agency

Built and opened the tunnel; leads the corridor program

Dubai's roads and public transport agency, and the client for the Al Shindagha Corridor build.

Timeline

2016 November 2026

5 events Latest: Today

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November 2026
RTA details next phases
Today Statement

Agency cites 11 million injury-free work hours and reuse of 77% of excavated material.
Today
Al Khaleej Street Tunnel opens
Opening

Six-lane tunnel opens between the Infinity Bridge ramp and Al Wuheida Street.
Yesterday
May 2026
Tunnel reaches 80% completion
Construction

First structural phase covers 890 metres; work continues on a second 760-metre stretch.
May 17th, 2026
2025
Bur Dubai section finished
Construction

RTA completes corridor works in Bur Dubai and moves to the Deira side.
2025
2016
Al Shindagha Corridor work begins
Construction

RTA starts a multi-phase rebuild of a 13-kilometre road corridor across Deira and Bur Dubai.
2016

Scenarios

Full Al Shindagha corridor opens and 16-minute trip is delivered

Possible Resolves by End of 2030

Discussed by: RTA project documents and statements by Mattar Al Tayer

RTA finishes all 15 intersections and the remaining corridor segments by 2030. If it does, the agency's headline promise, a cross-city trip cut from 104 minutes to 16, becomes measurable rather than projected.

Dubai Creek bridge links Dubai Islands to Bur Dubai

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: RTA project descriptions

A planned 1,425-metre bridge would span Dubai Creek between Infinity Bridge and the Port Rashid redevelopment area, with four lanes each way and a pedestrian and cycling track. Its completion would close the loop between the Deira tunnel and the Bur Dubai side.

Cairo and Al Wuheida roundabouts become signal-controlled

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: RTA project scope

The tunnel package includes converting the roundabouts on Cairo Street and Al Wuheida Street into signal-controlled intersections and linking the Dubai Islands ramp to the new tunnel toward Al Mamzar. These surface changes determine whether the tunnel's extra capacity reaches the surrounding streets.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2025

Al Shindagha Corridor, Bur Dubai phase (2025)

RTA completed its corridor improvements on the Bur Dubai side before shifting construction to Deira. The agency has delivered the 13-kilometre program in stages rather than as a single opening.

Then

Traffic patterns on the Bur Dubai side changed while Deira work continued.

Now

Set the template for phased delivery that the Al Khaleej tunnel now follows.

Why this matters now

The new tunnel is the Deira counterpart to work already finished across the creek, and the program's next milestones depend on linking the two sides.

September 2009

Dubai Metro opening (2009)

Dubai opened its first urban rail line, giving the car-heavy emirate a mass-transit spine and reshaping commuting along Sheikh Zayed Road.

Then

Ridership built gradually as stations and feeder routes came online.

Now

The metro became the anchor of Dubai's public transport planning and a model for building infrastructure ahead of demand.

Why this matters now

Al Shindagha follows the same logic: build capacity before congestion locks in, and measure success in journey times.

1991-2007

Boston Central Artery/Tunnel, the 'Big Dig' (completed 2007)

Boston buried its elevated Central Artery and built a tunnel network under the city center, one of the largest urban highway projects in the United States.

Then

The project ran years late and far over its original budget.

Now

It removed the elevated highway from the surface and freed land for parks and development, though cost and delay shaped how megaprojects are scrutinized.

Why this matters now

A reminder that tunnel megaprojects are judged both on the traffic they move and on whether they finish on schedule.