Driving Between Sharjah And Dubai? Al Taawun Square Is Getting A Major Upgrade

Sharjah drivers, mark your calendars: the newly redesigned Al Taawun Square is set to open to traffic on November 4, timed to coincide with the opening of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2026.

A Fresh Look For One Of Sharjah’s Busiest Junctions

The new design was unveiled during Sharjah’s Direct Line programme, with authorities releasing an image of how the square, ringed by traffic-light-controlled intersections, will look once complete. The timing isn’t a coincidence. Opening the square in time for SIBF means visitors heading to Expo Centre Sharjah for the fair should find it easier to get in and out of the area, easing what is normally one of the more congested pockets of the emirate during major events.

Part Of A Bigger Tunnel Project

The square’s reopening is tied to the ongoing Al Taawun Tunnel project, a wider infrastructure push aimed at untangling traffic on the Sharjah-Dubai corridor. The tunnel is being built specifically to relieve a longstanding bottleneck at Al Taawun, and once operational, it’s expected to cut waiting times for motorists by as much as 85 per cent, a significant win for anyone who regularly makes the Sharjah-Dubai commute.

Officials say the first phase of the tunnel is scheduled to open in November 2026, right around the same time as the square itself. The full project, however, will take a little longer, with completion pencilled in for February 2027. Once finished, the tunnel is expected to add three lanes in each direction, with capacity for roughly 4,000 vehicles an hour during peak periods, a substantial jump from the junction’s current throughput.

Also Read: Key Sharjah Road Has A New Speed Limit

What This Means For Commuters And Visitors

For now, the immediate takeaway is that Al Taawun Square becoming accessible to vehicles again should smooth the path for SIBF-goers this November, even as construction crews continue work nearby on the tunnel. Sharjah has been steadily rolling out diversions and phased closures across the Al Taawun area over recent months as part of these broader road upgrades, so drivers heading through the zone in the coming weeks should still expect some residual disruption before everything settles into its final form.

The project sits within Sharjah’s broader strategy to modernise road infrastructure in one of its busiest districts, with authorities framing it as a long-term fix rather than a quick patch, one that should pay off for both daily commuters and the steady flow of visitors the emirate draws for events like SIBF.

Cover Image Courtesy: Sharjah2channel/Instagram