* Offers direct access to Lusail sports complex

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) on Tuesday announced the opening of a new interchange on Al Khor Road as part of the Al Khor Expressway upgrade project. 
The new interchange is located at Exit 32, 3km to the north of the recently opened interchange at the intersection of Al Khor Road with Al Majd Road.
The interchange includes a bridge with two lanes in each direction and serves people using Al Khor Road, Al Shamal Road and Al Majd Road coming from Doha and Al Khor. It provides road users with direct connectivity to several public and sports facilities, and also ensures direct access to the Lusail sports complex, Losail International Circuit, Lusail Shooting Club and Lusail Reserves, Ashghal has said in a statement.
Hassan al-Maejeba, Ashghal Highways Department project engineer, said the new interchange has put an efficient travel option in place. “Before its opening, motorists had to use the intersection of Al Khor Road with Al Majd Road and Al Mazrouah Interchange to reach the Lusail sports complex. Now they can use the bridge to directly to reach the destination,” he said.


Hassan al-Maejeba, Ashghal Highways Department project engineer

Khalid al-Rumaihi, general manager of Losail Circuit Sports Club, said the newly built interchange allows easy access to the Losail Circuit and serves athletes and fans who attend the events held in the sports complex. “It also delivers a safe and easy connection for motorists coming from Doha and Al Khor,” he added. 


Khalid al-Rumaihi, general manager of Losail Circuit Sports Club

The 33km-long main carriageway of Al Khor Road was opened in last April, a year ahead of schedule. The old road was developed into an expressway extending from Al Khor city to Qatar University Street in Doha. The old road, which had two lanes in each direction, was upgraded to five lanes in each direction. Besides, two emergency lanes were also set up. 
This expansion has resulted in increasing the vehicular capacity to accommodate approximately 10,000 vehicles per hour instead of 4,000 in each direction, the statement notes. Besides, it has enhanced road safety. 


Ashghal has also opened three vital interchanges: Simaisma Interchange, the interchange on Al Majd Road and the interchange on Al Turfa Street as part of the Al Khor Road project. 
The Al Khor Road main carriageway serves as an alternative to Al Shamal Road as it helps road users coming from Al Khor save travel time by up to 65% compared to the journey via Al Shamal Road. The road is strategically linked to major expressways such as Al Majd Road. Besides, it directly serves more than 20 residential areas alongside its carriageway in addition to a number of economic, commercial and public amenities in the surrounding areas. 
The road is expected to become the centre of development and encourage the population of Doha "to move outside the city and reconstruct the eastern areas of Qatar". The project will help draw new investments to the area in fields such as business and agriculture. 
Al Khor Road is a major link to a number of 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums as it ensures a direct connection to Lusail and Al Bayt stadiums and facilitates access to Al Rayyan and Education City stadiums. In addition to this, the new road facilitates access to Simaisma and Al Khor Youth Centres, Al Khor Sports Club, Lusail sports complex and Doha Golf Club. 


The road also ensures enhanced traffic flow to a number of recreational and tourist destinations such as Katara, Simaisma Beach, Al Farkiya Beach and Al Daayen Celebration Hall Complex as well as some of the most prestigious educational institutions in Qatar such as Qatar University, Community College of Qatar, Qatar Leadership Academy, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and College of the North Atlantic-Qatar.
"Ashghal is actively working on completing the remaining parts of the project. These include construction of 34km-long Olympic cycle track on one side of the carriageway and 33km-long shared paths for pedestrians and cyclists on the other side as well as the construction of 42 pedestrian and cycle underpasses," the statement adds.
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