E-911 Highway; New 16-Lane Route from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah

The fourth highway of the UAE will be built with a maximum of 16 lanes along the route from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah.

The UAE is preparing one of its major road projects to alleviate traffic between the emirates; a 68-kilometer highway that starts from the Dubai-Sharjah border and continues to Al Shahada Road (E-87) in Ras Al Khaimah.

This route, known as E-911, will have a total of 12 to 16 lanes in both directions and is set to be the fourth main federal highway in the UAE, alongside the Emirates Road, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and Al Ittihad Road.

According to the tender documents from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the proposed route has been approved and the conceptual design of the project has been completed. An 8-kilometer connecting road will also link the new highway to Emirates Road (E-611) in Umm Al-Quwain.

The cost of this project is estimated at around 6 billion dirhams, and its design includes 10 main intersections and four overpasses. The projected capacity for the highway is also estimated at around 360,000 trips per day.

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has invited qualified engineering consulting firms to submit their proposals by October 23, 2026. The selected consultant must review the preliminary design, conduct technical studies, and prepare the final drawings and construction tender documents.

Why is this highway important?

Traffic between Dubai and Sharjah, especially during peak commuting hours, has been one of the main issues for drivers for years.

In the Federal National Council meeting in March 2025, Adnan Al Hamadi, a council member, announced that daily commuting between these two emirates could take about 460 hours of an employee's time annually; equivalent to nearly 60 working days.

This issue was raised again in the council in April 2026. At that time, Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, announced the plan to construct the fourth federal corridor to reduce traffic between Dubai and Sharjah.

This project is part of the UAE's broader plan to develop roads and transportation by 2030; a plan with an investment of 170 billion dirhams aimed at increasing the road network capacity and addressing population growth and the number of vehicles
Source: Gulf Times