If you're picking up a hire car in Dubai late October, build some extra time into your plans. The city's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced temporary closures on Emirates Road (E611) and the Al Maktoum International Airport Tunnel from Monday, October 26 to Saturday, October 31 — and it's all so driverless taxis can be tested.

The disruption runs between 9am and 4pm each day, so it's daytime drivers who'll feel it most. Three lanes of the E611 opposite Al Maktoum International Airport — Dubai's second airport, at the southern end of the city — will be shut, while the airport tunnel itself closes completely in both directions. That's a big deal for anyone heading to or from Al Maktoum, or using Emirates Road as a bypass around central Dubai. The RTA is directing motorists to follow the posted diversion signs and to plan routes in advance.

The reason behind the closures is arguably more interesting than the inconvenience: Dubai is actively expanding its autonomous transport network. The city has already rolled out commercial robotaxi services in neighbourhoods including Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim — beachside districts popular with visitors — and this week's testing is the next phase. Earlier in October, a senior UAE official said more than 10,000 autonomous taxis and delivery vans are expected to be operating across the country by 2027.

In a separate but related update, the RTA is also set to open the final bridge of the Dubai World Trade Centre Roundabout project on October 30, which should ease a long-running bottleneck on Sheikh Zayed Road in the heart of the city.

Why should holidaymakers care? If you're visiting Dubai during the closure window, self-driving may sound exotic, but you'll still be sharing the road with plenty of human drivers negotiating detours. Taxis and ride-hail apps will simply route around the closures, though trips to Al Maktoum International could take longer during daytime hours — worth factoring in if you have a flight to catch. The upside for travellers is long-term: within a couple of years, hopping into a driverless cab from your hotel to Jumeirah Beach could be a completely normal part of a Dubai trip.

If you're driving in the city between October 26 and 31, aim to travel early morning or after 4pm, keep an eye on navigation apps for live diversions, and give yourself a buffer before airport departures. And if you do end up in a queue on the E611, at least you can say you watched Dubai's driverless future being built.