As Dubai races toward an 8 million population, the city is reinventing how people move with smarter roads, sustainable transport, and a brand-new global airport. If you live in Dubai or plan to invest here, here’s what’s changing and why it matters.

Your Commute Is About to Get Much Shorter

Dubai’s new infrastructure plan includes –

• 57 major road projects
• 226 km of roads
• 115 new bridges and tunnels

Key roads like Umm Al Qudra, Hessa Street, and Al Fay Road are getting major upgrades –

• Umm Al Qudra will cut 46 minutes off travel time.
• Hessa Street will triple its capacity and bring commute times down from 30 to 7 minutes.
• Al Fay Road will connect major highways and support 600,000+ residents.

This will improve daily life for hundreds of thousands of people and increase property values in these corridors.

Dubai Is Building a City for Walking, Cycling & Scooting

A big part of the plan focuses on sustainable travel:

• A new 13.5 km bike/e-scooter path will run from Al Sufouh to Dubai Hills.
• Two wide bridges will cross Sheikh Zayed and Al Khail Roads.
• Dubai already has 557 km of cycle tracks with 285 km more coming.

In 2024 alone, the city recorded 47 million bicycle trips.

“20-Minute Living” Is Coming to Local Communities

Dubai wants you to be able to walk or bike to everything you need within 20 minutes: parks, clinics, schools, shops.

Al Barsha 2 is one of the first areas to be redesigned:

• 17 km of walking and cycling paths
• Shaded seating, green areas, and smart bike stations
• Easy access to places like Dubai Hills, Mall of the Emirates and Jumeirah Beach

Smarter Roads And Real-Time Monitoring

Dubai is using Al and drones to help monitor roadwork and speed up construction.

New smart systems like dynamic tolls and flexible parking fees are already reducing traffic in busy areas like Sheikh Zayed Road by up to 10%.

Driverless Taxis Will Hit the Roads in 2026

Dubai has signed agreements with international partners to launch autonomous taxis:

• The first 60 vehicles will begin mapping routes soon.
• Test zones are being set up across 65 key areas.
• The goal: make 25% of all Dubai trips driverless by 2030.

The New Mega-Airport Will Change the Map

By 2032, Al Maktoum International (DWC) will become Dubai’s main airport:

• Capacity: 150 million passengers in phase one
• Location: Dubai South, near Expo City
• Contracts worth over Dh1 billion already signed
• Expected to generate thousands of jobs and fuel real estate demand in surrounding areas

for Real Estate this means

• Higher demand near improved roads and mobility corridors
• Increased interest in bike-friendly and 20-minute communities
• New opportunities in Dubai South and fast-growing zones