The Loop — Dubai's 93 km Cycling Highway — Map, Loops & Facts
Key facts
- Status (mid-2026)
- Concept in R&D — no approval, construction or timeline announced
- Length
- 93 km proposed, wrapping around the city
- Developer
- URB (Dubai) · CEO Baharash Bagherian
- Revealed
- Late January / February 2023
- Signature features
- Climate-controlled enclosure · kinetic paving · solar · vertical farms
- Goal it serves
- Dubai 2040 “20-minute city” — 80% of daily trips by walking/cycling
- Completion date
- field check pending
- ≠ Dubai Loop
- Boring Company EV tunnel (DIFC–Dubai Mall, Dh565M) — transit, not cycling
- ≠ Future Loop
- Dubai Walk's ~2 km elevated air-conditioned walkway at Museum of the Future
Verified against the sources below (desk research — status re-checked against official sources). Rows marked “field check pending” publish as facts only after we ride and confirm them.
The Loop is a proposed 93 km climate-controlled cycling and walking highway that would wrap around Dubai, revealed in early 2023 by developer URB and its CEO Baharash Bagherian. The renders show a glazed, air-conditioned tube with kinetic paving, vertical farms and wellness stations, built to serve the Dubai 2040 goal of 80% of trips by foot or bike. As of mid-2026 it remains in research and development: no approved route, no budget, no construction start and no completion date have been announced. Reports that building has begun confuse it with the Boring Company's separate “Dubai Loop” transport tunnel.
What The Loop is
Revealed in early 2023 by Dubai-based sustainable-city developer URB, The Loop is the most ambitious cycling idea any city has floated: a 93 km enclosed, climate-controlled highway for bikes and pedestrians, ringing Dubai so that — in CEO Baharash Bagherian's words — cycling becomes “an enjoyable mode of sustainable transport, no matter the weather conditions.” The concept renders show a glazed tube threaded with greenery: kinetic paving that harvests energy from footsteps, solar generation, vertical farms irrigated with recycled water, and wellness hotels and parks along the route. It is designed as infrastructure for the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan's “20-minute city”, in which 80% of residents' daily trips happen on foot or by bike.
Vision vs reality — where it stands in 2026
Here is the honest status, because much of what's published about The Loop is wrong: as of July 2026 the project remains in research and development. No official approval, route, budget, construction start or completion date has been announced by URB, the RTA or the Dubai Media Office. A widely-shared July 2026 story claiming construction had begun on a “first phase from DIFC to Dubai Mall” cited no official source and conflated The Loop with an entirely different project — the Boring Company's Dubai Loop tunnel (see below). Older guides claiming completion “by end of 2024” were simply boilerplate that outlived reality. Treat any Loop news that doesn't come from URB or a government channel with suspicion.
Three “Loops”, one confused city
Dubai currently has three similarly-named projects, and even news aggregators mix them up. The Loop (this page): URB's 93 km cycling highway — concept only. Dubai Loop: the Boring Company and RTA's underground transport tunnel network carrying Tesla EVs, with phase one from DIFC to Dubai Mall at Dh565 million, construction due to start around late 2026 and service targeted for ~2027 — no bicycles involved. Future Loop: part of the Dubai Walk Master Plan launched in December 2024, a roughly 2 km elevated air-conditioned walkway connecting the Museum of the Future, DWTC and Emirates Towers, with a pilot phase running to 2027. Only the last two are officially moving. If you searched “the loop dubai map” hoping to ride something today, the map on this page shows what Dubai actually offers riders right now.
What it means for Dubai riders
Even as a concept, The Loop matters: it signals where Dubai wants cycling to go, and it keeps climate-controlled cycling infrastructure in the official conversation — the Future Loop walkway and the RTA's expanding track network are real steps in that direction. But you don't need to wait for 2040 to ride year-round in Dubai. Floodlit night loops run at Nad Al Sheba, dawn desert kilometres at Al Qudra, shaded forest singletrack at Mushrif Park, and tower-shaded city lanes around the Marina and JLT. When The Loop moves from renders to rebar, this page will say so.
FAQ
Is The Loop in Dubai under construction?
No. As of mid-2026 The Loop remains a concept in research and development, with no announced approval, route, budget or construction start. Reports claiming building has begun confuse it with the Boring Company's separate Dubai Loop transport tunnel. (Sources: URB, ArchDaily, The National.)
When will The Loop be completed?
No completion date exists. The project has never announced a construction timeline; any date you've seen published (such as “end of 2024”) was speculation that has already passed. (Source: URB project page.)
Are The Loop and the Dubai Loop the same project?
No. The Loop is URB's proposed 93 km climate-controlled cycling highway (concept only). Dubai Loop is the Boring Company and RTA's underground EV tunnel from DIFC to Dubai Mall — a transit project with no cycling component, due to start construction around late 2026. (Source: The National.)
What is the Future Loop then?
A third project: a roughly 2 km elevated, air-conditioned pedestrian walkway linking the Museum of the Future, DWTC and Emirates Towers, part of the Dubai Walk Master Plan launched in December 2024, with a pilot phase to 2027. (Sources: Khaleej Times, Gulf News.)
What would The Loop include if built?
The 2023 concept shows a glazed climate-controlled enclosure with kinetic energy-harvesting paving, solar power, vertical farms, recycled-water irrigation and wellness amenities along 93 km wrapping the city. (Sources: Dezeen, ArchDaily.)
Where can I ride climate-comfortable kilometres in Dubai today?
Ride early or after dark: Nad Al Sheba's floodlit loops run 24 hours, Al Qudra is a sunrise classic, Mushrif Park's forest singletrack has genuine shade, and the Marina–JLT lanes get tower shade for much of the day — all mapped live on this site.
More Dubai tracks
Al Qudra Cycle Track
The flagship desert network — 50 km main loop, vehicle-free, sunrise territory.
Nad Al Sheba Cycle Park
Dubai’s 24-hour floodlit cycle park beside Meydan — 4, 6 and 8 km loops.
Jumeirah Coastal Track
16 km of free beachfront riding past Kite Beach and the Burj Al Arab.
Mushrif Park MTB Trails
Dubai's in-city mountain-bike park — 50 km of graded singletrack under the ghaf trees.
Dubai Marina & JLT Cycle Track
City riding between the towers — ~11 km of connected waterfront and lakeside lanes.
Hatta MTB Trail Centre
The Middle East's first MTB trail centre — 50+ km of graded mountain singletrack.
Meydan Cycle Track
The track that became Nad Al Sheba — Meydan's famous loops, alive and renamed.
DXBike — District One Cycle Track
Dubai's branded everyday track at Meydan — and how it differs from Dubai Ride.
Al Wathba Cycle Track
Abu Dhabi's answer to Al Qudra — five desert loops up to 30 km, lit for night riding.
Hudayriat Island Cycle Track
Abu Dhabi's sports island — lit road loops, a graded MTB park, and a track over the sea.
Al Ain Cycle Track
The Garden City's 23 km loop — free, 24/7, with Jebel Hafeet's great climb next door.
Yas Marina Circuit — TrainYAS
Ride the actual F1 circuit — free, floodlit, with free bikes to borrow.
Sharjah Cycling Tracks: Al Batayeh & Masaar
A 24 km bicycle-only desert ribbon and a 6.6 km forest loop — Sharjah rides two ways.
Abu Dhabi Corniche Cycle Path
Eight flat kilometres of waterfront — the capital's easiest, easiest-to-rent ride.
Bike Rental in Dubai
Every way to rent a bike in Dubai — share docks, track fleets, carbon road bikes, beach cruisers.
Dubai & UAE Cycling Events
Every ride you can enter this season — from the SZR takeover to UCI qualifiers.
Or see every dedicated track at once on the live map. Before you ride: the Dubai cycling rules & fines (helmet and vest are legally required), the verified network stats, and the full guide to cycling in Dubai.