Dubai RTA Closes Three E611 Lanes and Al Maktoum Airport Tunnel for Daytime Autonomous Taxi Highway Testing
What happened
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority initiated temporary daytime closures on Emirates Road (E611) and the Al Maktoum International Airport Tunnel from October 26 to 31, 2026, to conduct highway-speed trials for autonomous taxis.
The Context
* Highway speeds test complex autonomy: The six-day testing window runs daily from 9am to 4pm, evaluating how driverless fleets manage high-speed merging, lane transitions, and tunnel navigation. * Testing taps global AV leaders: Trials involve international autonomous vehicle operators including WeRide, Pony.ai, and Tesla near the expanding Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) logistics hub. * Smart mobility strategy accelerates: The closures advance Dubai's legal and infrastructure push to convert 25 percent of all regional trips to autonomous transport by 2030.
The Number
planned autonomous taxis and delivery vans will deploy across the UAE in 2027, transitioning commercial transport from mixed-traffic experiments to scaled fleet operations.
Takeaway
Expect high-speed transit arteries around critical logistics hubs to increasingly host automated fleets as regional testing shifts from quiet suburban zones onto core freight and commuter corridors.
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Dubai road closures this week for driverless taxi tests: Diversions, timings and travel tips
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has announced lane closures on Emirates Road (E611), opposite Al Maktoum Airport, along with a full closure of the Al Maktoum Airport tunnel in both directions, to allow self-driving taxi tests. The closures run ...
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Dubai road closures this week for driverless taxi tests: Diversions, timings and travel tips
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has announced lane closures on Emirates Road (E611), opposite Al Maktoum Airport, along with a full closure of the Al Maktoum Airport tunnel in both directions, to allow self-driving taxi tests. The closures run ...
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Dubai announces lane closures on Emirates Road from Monday to clear the way for self-driving taxi tests
The Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai has announced lane closures on Emirates Road (E611), opposite Al Maktoum Airport, from Monday, along with a full closure of the Al Maktoum Airport tunnel in both directions, to clear the way for self-driving...
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Dubai RTA announces Emirates Road lane closures for self-driving taxi tests
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"طرق دبي": إغلاق 3 مسارات على شارع الإمارات «E611» ونفق مطار آل مكتوم من 26 إلى 31 أكتوبر "طرق دبي": إغلاق 3 مسارات على شارع الإمارات «E611» ونفق مطار آل مكتوم من 26 إلى 31 أكتوبر
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has announced the closure of three lanes on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road...
A curated Gulf News feed featuring major stories across news, business, opinion, and lifestyle.
"Gulf News is a major UAE newspaper whose featured stories feed reflects a broad editorial mix shaped for a Gulf audience."
— A47 Editor
Dubai traffic alert: E611 lanes, airport tunnel to close for autonomous taxi tests — what to know
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has announced lane closures on Emirates Road (E611), opposite Al Maktoum Airport, along with a full closure of the Al Maktoum Airport tunnel in both directions, to allow autonomous taxi tests. The clos...
UAE-based newspaper covering Gulf politics, society, and international developments.
"Gulf News is one of the UAE’s most prominent English-language publications."
— A47 Editor
Dubai traffic alert: E611 lanes, airport tunnel to close for autonomous taxi tests — what to know
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai has announced lane closures on Emirates Road (E611), opposite Al Maktoum Airport, along with a full closure of the Al Maktoum Airport tunnel in both directions, to allow autonomous taxi tests. The clos...
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Dubai to close some E611 lanes, Al Maktoum airport tunnel amid autonomous taxi testing
Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has announced lane closures on Emirates Road (E611) opposite Al Maktoum Airport, along with a full closure of the Al Maktoum Airport tunnel in both directions, to allow autonomous taxi tests. The closures, report...