As connectivity improves between areas on the western and eastern sides of Doha due to the opening of links such as G-Ring Road and F-Ring Road, there is a lot of optimism that business will get a boost in such localities.
In particular, businesses on the western side “stand to gain considerably in the coming years as more entrepreneurs show interest in setting up ventures there”.
While the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) opened G-Ring Road yesterday, including its five lanes and parts of its eight main interchanges, F-Ring Road has been operational for quite some time.
Sources in the city’s retail sector said they looked forward to expanding their operations to more areas lying to the west of Doha as the “market there seemed more conducive”.
“This is evident from the performance of retail businesses in some of the localities on the western side,” said the operator of a hypermarket group with operations in the said area.
“Places such as Ain Khaled and Muaither, among many others, hold a lot of promise,” said another source.
Entrepreneurs expect congestion within city areas to reduce significantly when G-Ring Road becomes completely functional. The remaining works on the project are scheduled for completion by the end of July 2017, according to Ashghal.
Those travelling between Doha and the eastern parts of Industrial Area and New Industrial Area, as well as areas beyond it, also stand to benefit considerably as they can save a lot of travel time.
G-Ring Road, Ashghal has stressed, will ease pressure on Doha’s main roads and shorten travel times to the areas it serves.
Along with retailers, real estate houses are also hoping for an improvement in the occupancy of residential complexes in the coming months in areas connected by the new road.
