Major road expansion adds extra lanes to ease commuter and school traffic between Khalifa City and Zayed City
ABU DHABI, August 30, 2026 — Motorists travelling through Abu Dhabi’s residential corridors will experience significantly reduced travel times starting this week after municipal authorities reopened a crucial overpass connecting Khalifa City and Zayed City along the E20 highway.
The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) confirmed Sunday that civil works on the western segment of the E20 development project have reached a major operational milestone, enabling the timely reopening of the interchange right before the start of the new academic school year.
Under the completed phase, drivers travelling to and from Abu Dhabi City can now access five continuous lanes in both directions, up from the previous three. The additional capacity is designed to alleviate chronic bottlenecking along one of the capital’s busiest arterial routes, particularly during peak morning and afternoon school runs.
“The reopening of the interchange directly addresses seasonal traffic surges and supports the growing population within neighboring residential developments,” municipal officials stated.
The scope of the overall E20 expansion includes widening the main carriageway to five lanes in each direction, building 10.5 kilometres of new ramps and loops, constructing new bridges, and adding 1.5 kilometres of internal road connections. To further enhance safety across Khalifa City and adjacent districts, eight signalised traffic light junctions have been integrated into the network.
Subsurface infrastructure work carried out alongside the highway expansion features 62 kilometres of stormwater drainage, 37 kilometres of irrigation networks, and 485 new streetlights. Environmental measures, including tree relocation and extensive landscaping, were also executed to protect local greenery along the route.
Focus now shifts to the eastern corridor of the E20. Municipal authorities confirmed that work is progressing on schedule for a second new interchange and extra lanes on the eastern section, with full completion targeted for the first quarter of 2027.
