Abu Dhabi's Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) has announced construction of a new network of seven bridges and three tunnels that will directly connect Ramhan and Jubail islands to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Highway, known as E12. Spanning more than 166,000 square metres, the Dh872 million project ranks among the emirate's most significant recent infrastructure undertakings. the network is scheduled to open to traffic in the second quarter of 2027. Currently, access to Ramhan and Jubail islands largely relies on longer secondary routes; once complete, the new bridges and tunnels are expected to cut travel times to the main highway network considerably.
Sustainability has been built into the design from the outset. All bridge and tunnel lighting will use energy-efficient LED fixtures, and planners say roughly 90 per cent of construction waste generated by the project — estimated at more than 2,200 tonnes — will be recycled and reused in other developments rather than sent to landfill.
Ramhan and Jubail islands have in recent years become hosts to major tourism, residential and investment projects, and improved road access is expected to accelerate development momentum in both areas. Residents and visitors who currently rely on existing routes to reach the islands should see shorter commutes and reduced congestion once the network is operational.
The project is part of Abu Dhabi's broader push to expand transport links to its coastal islands and tie them more closely to the emirate's main highway corridors, a strategy that has already seen several comparable bridge and tunnel projects completed on other islands across the emirate in recent years.