Dubai Islands to Bur Dubai bridge: 1.4 km, eight lanes and a late-2026 opening

In spring 2025 Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) awarded an AED 786m contract for a bridge linking Dubai Islands directly to Bur Dubai. Eighteen months on the bridge is under construction and the target of completion by the end of 2026 has not moved. A good moment to look at what it will change in practice, and what it will not.

The bridge in numbers

Item	Figure
Length	1 425 m
Lanes	4 in each direction
Capacity	16 000 vehicles an hour, both directions
Clearance	18.5 m above the water, 75 m navigation channel
Location	across Dubai Creek between Infinity Bridge and Port Rashid
Contract value	AED 786m

A dedicated cycling and pedestrian track with lifts at both ends runs along the bridge, and about 2 km of surface roads on each side tie it into the existing network. It is the islands’ second access: the first three bridges, 1.6 km in total, opened in 2020.

Part of a larger corridor

The bridge is one phase of the Al Shindagha Corridor project: 13 km of road, 15 junctions, five phases. The RTA estimates that once the whole corridor is complete, travel time along it falls from 104 minutes to 16, saving about AED 45bn over 20 years. For residents, the islands and the old city stop being a dead end behind Al Maktoum Bridge and the Al Shindagha tunnel.

What changes for Dubai Islands

Today, driving from the islands towards the centre means going through Deira and its congested junctions. The new bridge puts traffic straight into Bur Dubai, a short run from Sheikh Zayed Road and Downtown. For a district marketed as the last waterfront land in the city, access is the buyer’s key question: island living is pleasant until the commute becomes an hour in traffic. We cover the district and its pricing in Dubai Islands: the last waterfront land.

• Island residents who commute to the centre gain most, for example future owners in schemes such as Bay Grove Residences.
• Short-let owners benefit because guests coming from the airport and downtown reach the island beaches more easily.
• Bur Dubai and Port Rashid gain direct access to the islands’ beaches and hotels.

What not to expect

The bridge does not make the islands “five minutes from Downtown” at rush hour. Traffic still lands on Bur Dubai’s busy streets, and the full benefit arrives only with the rest of the Al Shindagha corridor. “Completion in 2026” is also a target; large road projects in Dubai tend to open on time more often than residential towers, but the first months after opening usually go on fine-tuning junctions. Island prices move on the bridge together with finished amenities and completed neighbouring buildings, not on the bridge alone. Our Deira and Bur Dubai profile covers the other side of the creek.

If you are considering a waterfront home in the north of the city, start with our Dubai Islands guide: price per square metre, project handover dates and how the new bridge changes the drive into town.