Over the next few days, a number of road projects, including Lusail Expressway, Khalifa Avenue, and Phase 2 of Al Rayyan Road Development Project are to be formally commissioned, as part of the Qatar National Day celebrations, Ashghal announced.

They will include parts of the three interchanges of Lusail Expressway, a 3km section of the main road within Khalifa Avenue project, and unidirectional two-lane flyover that will carry traffic heading from Al Waab and Al Sadd to the new Al Rayyan Road and Bani Hajer from 22 February Street.

Ashghal president Saad bin Ahmed al-Muhannadi said the openings are in line with the directives of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nassar bin Khalifa al-Thani to accelerate the pace of work and complete the ongoing projects.

With regard to the opening of the Lusail Expressway project, the main works will be completed and all main and permanent roads will be open to traffic. It will also connect a number of important destinations with Hamad International Airport (HIA), reducing the travel time to Lusail City, the Pearl, or Katara to no more than 25 minutes.

Among the new openings, Lusail Expressway's main construction will be over with the opening of three at grade junctions, a flyover and four underpasses.

Arch Roundabout's alternative interchange will also be opened. The remaining sections of the junction will be opened, including a bi-directional three-lane underpass, which allows road users coming from the Civil Defence, The Landmark and Qatar Sports Club via Istiqlal Street to connect directly on to Lusail Street on the direction to Lusail and the Pearl and vice versa.

An at-grade main carriageway with three lanes in each direction will be ready for the road users travelling from Omar Al Mukhtar Street. They will be able to use the main carriageway and connect directly to West Bay and vice versa.

Al Gassar fly over, a bi-directional two-lane flyover with two separate structures, providing a free flow route between University Street and other area, west of Duhail and Katara and hotels around will be ready. The flyover will allow a direct access for the travellers to the Education City.



The road linking Al Amir Street with the western side of Rayyan.

A new tunnel with two lanes in one direction connecting travellers from the West Bay heading right to Onaiza Street would be commissioned. Another tunnel also has two lanes in one direction, enabling traffic from the Pearl to Katara and hotels around.

Road users travelling from Onaiza Street will be able to take a free left turn to head northbound towards Lusail and the pearl. Commuters travelling from Katara and the hotels can now make a left turn or head southbound towards West Bay and City Centre, with the opening of the tunnel.

The new underpass on the Pearl Tunnel will facilitate easier traffic from Doha to Lusail since it has three lanes in each direction.

The at-grade junctions being completed have free u-turns with signalised junctions allowing for smoother and more efficient traffic movements in the area where there are many residential and business facilities.

Ashghal's Expressway Department manager Yousef al-Emadi said the opening of Al Rayyan bridge to traffic will ease congestion on 22 February Road by providing direct access from areas like Al Sadd and Al Waab to the new Al Rayyan Road and Bani Hajer, without the need to pass through Al Rayyan Roundabout or the traffic diversions in the area.

The opening of part of the main road of Khalifa Avenue Project (Dukhan Highway East) is considered the first construction milestone in the project. It will reduce traffic congestion on the road and the local roads in surrounding areas such as Al Gharrafa and Bani Hajar and improve the traffic movement for residents of these areas.

The 1km Al Rayyan Interchange Flyover will also be opened to Traffic (Al Rayyan Upgrade project – Phase II). The flyover has two lanes in one direction on 22 February Street. The bridge will provide an alternative straight road for road users heading for Al Sadd and Al Waab and New Al Rayyan Road towards Dukhan Highway with no need of using Al Rayyan Roundabout and diversions in the Old Al Rayyan towards Bani Hajer.

More than 3km of the main carriageway of Khalifa Avenue (Dukhan Highway – East) has also been opened, facilitating the main carriage way from the western Tilted Interchange and eastern Bani Hajer Interchange. Ashghal has also opened Al Wajba Bridge after upgrading the old bridge from two lanes into three lanes.

With the openings, Khalifa Avenue is expected to serve as a key project connecting Qatar’s east and west along with central Doha. The statement also added that Ashghal could accomplish more than 61% of the projects to represent approximately 400km of the Expressway programme.



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