New Darb Toll Gates Now Operational to Support Abu Dhabi's Urban Expansion

Abu Dhabi's Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) has brought two new gates into the Darb toll system, operational from 4 May 2026, in a move that reflects the emirate's accelerating pace of urban growth.

The two gates are strategically placed across corridors that are central to Abu Dhabi's real estate expansion. The Al Qurm Toll Gate sits on Wahat Al Karama Street at the entrance and exit of Sheikh Zayed Street; the Ghantoot Toll Gate on Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Street in Ghantoot. Both operate around the clock, carry a toll of AED 4 per crossing, and were sited on the basis of traffic density studies that also mapped available alternative routes for each corridor. Exemptions for senior citizens, People of Determination, low-income citizens, and retired citizens remain in place. The gates will be operated in collaboration with Q-Mobility.

The scale of development activity in Abu Dhabi gives the expansion its weight. The Department of Municipalities and Transport approved nearly 75 million square metres of gross floor area for development across the emirate in 2025, a 137 per cent year-on-year increase. Housing initiatives represented the largest share, with nearly 190,000 residential units planned across new and existing neighbourhoods. In September 2025, 13 new residential communities were announced targeting more than 40,000 homes and plots at a combined cost of AED 106 billion. 

Road capacity, in that context, is not a secondary concern. Abu Dhabi's construction sector expanded 13.9 per cent year-on-year as of Q3 2025, underpinned by a $57 billion infrastructure pipeline spanning housing, transport, culture, education, and social infrastructure. As of mid-2025, the emirate was managing 619 active infrastructure projects with a total investment exceeding AED 200 billion. Transport infrastructure that keeps pace with that volume of development is a planning imperative, not an afterthought. 

The ITC confirmed it will conduct periodic reviews to monitor the impact of the new gates and analyse usage patterns. For developers active in growth corridors such as Ghantoot, where residential and mixed-use activity along the Abu Dhabi-Dubai axis has been building steadily, the toll network's extension is a signal that mobility planning is moving in step with development demand across the emirate.

Source: Department of Municipalities and Transport, Abu Dhabi Media Office