By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter

A newly-built underground parking facility north of Souq Waqif that is expected to ease traffic congestion in one of the busiest areas in Doha, is now open.
A construction official told Gulf Times that the three-level parking garage consists of basements one, two, and three, which can accommodate as many as 2,000 vehicles in three zones.
“Initially it was designed to have 2,400 slots but they changed it to 2,000 due to some alterations to the project,” he noted. “It will definitely serve the growing number of Souq visitors daily.”
Due to an acute shortage of parking space, visitors have had to drive around for a long time, creating long queues inside and outside Souq Waqif.
Besides providing numerous slots to visitors, the parking facility's exits also lead to the Corniche road. “Motorists can now avoid the traffic along Al Matar Street,” he added.
One of the two supervisors disclosed that zones one and two have a total capacity of at least 1,500 vehicles. The remaining 500 slots are for zone three which is expected to open today.
Another official said there was no official announcement for its opening but many construction workers were seen making some finishing touches on some structures and cable connections. Other workers were rushing to install a number of elevators.
“We are doing our best to finish all remaining works and I guess it will be fully opened before the weekend,” he noted.
The underground parking can be accessed by turning left from the Corniche (if going to West Bay) going to Al Matar Street. Then, the first road on the right, which faces the Emiri Diwan, leads to the entrance of the three zones. An entrance/exit was also built along the Corniche for motorists coming from West Bay.
A large number of workers were also deployed at the new Souq Waqif park which was constructed above the parking garage.
A signage was also put up at the park showing the way to the Corniche using a pedestrian tunnel. It also has a bike station, amphitheatre, kiosk and a playground for children.
At noon yesterday, some visitors were seen using staircases going to the underground park. It was also observed that lights at zone three were still switched off.
“They are in the process of completing the electrical installations and hopefully it will be done in a matter of two hours or less,” said one supervisor.
The underground parking is also equipped with a number of security features such as CCTVs and cameras to monitoring incoming and outgoing vehicles. It also has pay counters at every exit.
The supervisor said QR3 will be charged for the first hour and QR1 for succeeding hours.
Souq Waqif is also currently preparing to host its annual Spring Festival set from January 23 to February 6. Activities will include games and attractions for children and a number of shows.

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