Dubai: If you are travelling from Dubai to Sharjah this evening, settle in - you are going to be a while. It's the Monday evening rush that you are contending with and that means you may be on the road for almost twice as long as you usually are. Google Maps is currently showing heavy congestion around the Dubai-Sharjah border.
While traffic on both sides is affected this evening, the path to Sharjah seems particularly slow.
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The journey from central Dubai towards the Sharjah Science Museum may take one hour and 26 minutes over approximately 29 kilometres. An alternative road covering a similar distance also takes 86 minutes, while a much longer route of 44.1 kilometres is estimated at one hour and 50 minutes.
The coastal corridor around E11 and Al Ittihad Road is among the busiest stretches, with red and dark-red sections visible near the border. Drivers heading towards central Sharjah are also encountering delays on connecting roads, while sections of E311 showing slower traffic.
For motorists travelling from Sharjah towards Dubai, things are a bit different.
For a journey of approximately 35.4 kilometres, Google Maps estimates 36 minutes on the highlighted route. Another option covering 37.2 kilometres takes 38 minutes, while a coastal alternative of 34 kilometres is estimated at 46 minutes.
That difference underlines how much direction matters during the evening rush. While traffic heading into Sharjah is struggling through the usual commuter bottlenecks, the return journey towards Dubai appears considerably quicker on the routes selected.
There are also delays on E88 through Sharjah, particularly around its connections with E311 and roads serving the industrial areas. Several road restriction symbols are visible, making it important for drivers to check their intended exits before attempting shortcuts.
Away from the busiest commuter corridors, E611/Emirates Road remains largely green, with only scattered slowdowns around junctions. The highway could be worth considering for motorists heading to outer Sharjah, although a longer distance does not necessarily mean a faster journey.
Make adjustments to plans when leaving Dubai for Sharjah this evening - the maps say it'll take a while. However, journey times vary sharply depending on the route you take, so navigate with an eye on the most recent maps.