Dubai Roads Today: A Real-Time Guide to Road Closures

Been Stuck in traffic around Dubai lately and wondering what’s going on? You’re not the only one.

With more cars, delivery vans, and rentals hitting the streets every day, the roads are feeling the heat. On top of that, the city’s busy upgrading things like building new metro lines, fixing drainage, resurfacing roads, and putting up bridges. All that work means some routes face road closures, slowdowns, or detours.

This quick guide shows you:

• Which areas are closed or extra busy right now
• The spots drivers are struggling with the most
• Simple tips to make your drive smoother (and maybe less stressful)

No drama, no fluff, just the info you actually need to get around today.

What’s Going On With Dubai Traffic & Cars

Before I talk about specific closures, here’s what the setup looks like. It helps explain why things keep getting blocked or detoured.

• By mid‑2025, there were about 4.56 million active registered vehicles in the UAE, up from around 4.17 million the year before. That’s almost 400,000 more cars.
  
• In daytime hours, about 3.5 million vehicles travel Dubai’s roads. That’s gotten heavier over the past two years.
  
• The number of commercial vehicles jumped by ~43% in 2024 compared to 2023. Rental companies also grew: there were ~71,040 vehicles in rental fleets at end‑2024 vs ~49,725 the year before.
  
• Public transport usage has improved. In H1 2024, there were ~360 million rides among metro, tram, buses, taxis, ferries, e‑hails. That works out to about 1.98 million riders per day.

All that means more vehicles, more demand, more strain. “Oops” moments are happening more often on the roads.

Latest Closures & Diversions You Should Know

Here are current / recent road closures or diversions. I picked ones that likely affect many people. Use them if your route overlaps or could overlap.

1. Dubai–Al Ain Road (E66) & Jebel Ali‑Lehbab Road (E77)
   
   • From June 13 to June 26, bridge maintenance forced closures. The exit from E66 to E77 (from Al Ain toward Jebel Ali) is closed. The reverse exit (E77 to E66 toward Dubai) is also closed.
     
   • If you were planning that route, you’d need to take the next exit instead on either side.

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1. Emirates Road Diversions (toward Sharjah)
   
   • The stretch from Dubai–Al Ain interchange to Ras Al Khor–Al Awir interchange is under maintenance until August 30, 2025.
     
   • Signage is in place. Expect delays.
     
2. Mudon Underpass on Emirates Road
   
   • From June 28, 2025, for two months, there are diversions due to drainage upgrades and road resurfacing.
     
   • Suggested alternate routes: Using Underpass 7 (U‑turn toward Jebel Ali), or via Hessa Street → Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Street (toward Dubai) if that helps.
     
3. Al Barari Underpass (Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road – E311)
   
   • Also included in the June 28 works. The drainage and surfacing work here means diversions.

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1. Intersections around Al Qudra Road / Arabian Ranches
   
   • Bridge construction started around June 2025. Signals removed at some intersections; traffic flows have been rerouted. Two signal‑free U‑turns set up.
     
   • This affects traffic between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Sheikh Zayed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Street.

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1. Roads around Dubai Harbour / King Salman Street
   
   • From July 13, 2025, main roads and left turns from Marina toward Jumeirah and Dubai Harbour are closed at certain points because of bridge work.
     
   • Alternate route: Al Marsa Street → Al Khayay Street → Al Naseem Street → back onto King Salman Street after the closure.
     
2. Centrepoint Station (Blue Metro Line works)
   
   • Road to Centrepoint metro station from Airport Road is closed. Also, service road to Al Khor station closed and a temporary road opened in place.

Areas That Tend to Get Hit Most

These are neighborhoods / roads that seem to get disrupted more often. If you live or travel through them, I’d check their status first thing in the morning.

• Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road / E311
  
• Emirates Road (especially between Dubai‑Al Ain interchange → Shaakh Zayed Road / toward Sharjah)
  
• Al Qudra Road / Arabian Ranches / Studio City zones
  
• Dubai Harbour / King Salman Street area
  
• Centrepoint / Rashidiya / Airport Road junctions

Because these areas are busy, under development, or have many major intersections / interchanges, maintenance or upgrade works often happen there.

What Drivers (You & Me) Can Do to Avoid Surprises

I use a few tricks. Might be helpful for you too.

• Check RTA or local traffic‑alert social media pages before leaving (even if you travel the same route daily). Sometimes a new diversion pops up overnight.
  
• Use Google Maps or Waze with live‑traffic turned on. They’ll often show you which roads are blocked or slow.
  
• Give yourself extra time if your trip passes through one of the trouble zones above. Being 10‑15 minutes early beats arriving flustered.
  
• Use public transport where feasible. Since ridership is ~1.98 million/day in first half 2024, that’s becoming more reliable.
  
• If you must drive, plan alternative routes in your head ahead of time. I usually know 2‑3 ways to get somewhere just in case my first choice is jammed.

How the City Is Dealing With Congestion?

Because it’s not just about complaining. Authorities are doing / planning stuff.

• RTA plans to reduce congestion by 20‑30% via a mix of traffic‑management works, infrastructure upgrades, policies.
  
• There are upgrading works on 22 main roads across Dubai, improvements in many school zones, and better local road networks in developing neighborhoods like Nad Al Sheba, Al Khawaneej 2.
  
• Growth in rental fleet + commercial vehicle fleet is pushing up usage. So the city is also looking at rules / systems around registrations, tolls, etc.

Some Numbers You Might Like

Because dry facts somehow help when you’re stuck in traffic. These are recent:

What Can “Today” Look Like If You’re Driving

Let me give you a sample plan for a commute, like if I were you going from, say, Arabian Ranches to City centre in the morning. Knowing the above, here’s how I’d do it:

• Leave earlier than usual (say 30 mins early)
  
• Avoid Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road if there’s news about closures near Al Barari or Mudon Underpass, maybe take a route via Emirates Road + Hessa Street instead
  
• If approaching E66/E77, check if exit loops are closed; if yes, take next exit back and use local roads or service roads depending on traffic
  
• Have Google Maps live, maybe keep Waze open too, in case unexpected blockage or accident pops up

What You Should Keep Doing / Watch Out For

• Always check RTA social channels or the app before heading out.
  
• Always watch for road signs; they’re often posted just before the closures/diversions (traffic cones, electronic boards).
  
• Follow official updates, not just what others say, route detours might change.
  
• Always have a backup route in mind.

Conclusion

Traffic in Dubai is heavy right now because there are more cars and lots of road works. The city is fixing and building to make things better later, but it means some slow drives today.

To avoid stress, just check RTA updates or Google Maps before you go, leave a little earlier, and know a backup route. With small steps like these, getting around can be easier until the new roads are ready.