Hassan Juma al-Mohannadi (left) and Abdulla al-Kuwari announce the completion of the Barwa Al Baraha Project yesterday.
By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter
The ambitious Barwa Al Baraha Project, which includes the world’s largest truck parking yard of its kind and accommodation for about 50,000 single workers has become “fully” operational.
The 4,200-truck yard, located on Street 52 at the southeastern end of the Industrial Area, is ready to receive the thousands of trucks operating within the country and those coming from outside. The complex provides round-the-clock security cover for the parked trucks.
The announcements were made yesterday by the Waseef Company CEO Hassan Juma al-Mohannadi and project director Abdulla al-Kuwari. Waseef is a subsidiary of the Barwa Real Estate Group.
The facilities at the truck parking yard will be given free to the customers for six months. After that QR15/entry will be charged from the vehicles. Even if the vehicles remain in the parking area at one stretch for 24 hours, only QR15 will be charged. However, if a vehicle makes exit and returns to the place for parking, they will be charged QR15 per entry. There is a ticket vending machine at the entrance.
Though the integrated complex, spread over about 1.8mn sq m, has sparingly been used for the last few months, attracting mainly vehicles coming specifically to the Industrial Area, it is completely ready only now, after receiving mandatory approvals from different government departments. More than one-third (675,877sq m) of the total area of the project is earmarked for truck parking.
The Waseef officials said an average of more than 300 trucks have been using the facilities on a daily basis since their opening.
There are 16 parking zones which could accommodate trucks and trailers of different sizes and capacities. The complex houses as many as 17 service buildings, including monitoring station, fuel stations, cafeteria, lounges and comfort stations. It also has a private car parking area for the truck owners and others coming to the area. Such services as truck wash, maintenance and replacement of tyres are also provided.
Waseef has made arrangements with Mowasalat to transport to the nearest bus stop truck drivers and others accompanying the vehicles using the facility. Along with road maps displayed at different locations, the parking has eight entrances and 12 exits to ensure smooth inward and outward movement of the vehicles.
Loop detector and plate recognition systems of globally acclaimed standards are in place to check the truck capacities and capture the trucks’ numbers respectively. Fire alarms and fire fighting equipment are also at work.
A centre for periodic inspection of vehicles is being developed in an area of 4,500sq m, along with a diesel filling station, spread over 16,000sq m.
The parking areas are colour-coded to differentiate between bays for trucks of different sizes. This is to ensure smooth movement of the vehicles in and out of the yard. The detaching of heads or tails of the trailers would not be permitted in the complex.
Replying to a query, the Waseef officials said monthly tariffs for regular users are under consideration but rates are still to be decided.
The complex, according to officials, has facilities to house drivers and others arriving there with vehicles, apart from the accommodations, capable to shelter nearly 50,000 single workers.