Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday announced the opening of five new parts of Mesaimeer Interchange. This includes a 3km road linking Doha Expressway and the southern part of the Doha Expressway, providing free traffic flow for those coming from Doha towards Al Wakra and Al Wukair. 
The other direction from the road that connects Al Wakra and Al Wukair towards Doha will be opened in the second quarter of 2020, a statement said. The announcement was made in the presence of Ashghal’s Projects Affairs director engineer Youssef al-Emadi, 
Highway Project Department manager engineer Bader Darwish, Central Municipality Council members Sheikha al-Jufairi, Fatima al-Kuwari and Abdul Rahman al-Khulaifi, Traffic Safety Department’s director of engineering Brig Mohamed Marafih, a number of other officials and representatives of the contracting company.
With the opening of a new 750m tunnel linking Doha Expressway to E-Ring Road, traffic was opened from Industrial area road towards E-Ring Road, Rawdat Al Khail Street and Doha Expressway. 
The opening includes a new 1km tunnel towards the E-Ring Road in addition to opening the 1km bridge towards Rawdat Al Khail Street and D-Ring Road to make the bridge open in both directions. In addition, a 500m exit loop leading to the Doha Expressway will be opened to directly link the traffic coming from the Industrial Area towards Doha Expressway.
Engineer al-Emadi said the new openings will provide free traffic flow in all directions, especially with the elimination of a number of traffic diversions and the provision of a direct link between many different roads. He explained that those coming from Doha and Al Shamal towards Mesaieed, Al Wakra and Al Wukair via 22 February Street can directly reach their destinations after the opening of the road linking the Doha Expressway and the southern part of the Doha Expressway.
He added that the new openings mainly serve those coming from the Industrial Area in all directions, especially with the opening of the new bridge between the Industrial Area Road and Rawdat Al Khail Street in both directions. The bridge was opened in only one direction towards the Industrial Area. However, the bridge has currently become open in both directions to facilitate a free traffic flow between the Industrial Area and central Doha.
Al-Jufairi said that the new openings will serve many residential areas such as Nuaija and Al Hilal along with the old airport and facilitate access to several major roads. 
Al-Khulaifi said that the openings link Doha to the southern parts and road users coming from Al Mamoura and Bu Hamour or the Doha Expressway can directly reach Al Wakra and Al Wukair.
Al-Kuwari said that the Mesaimeer Interchange is an important link connecting many vital economic, educational, and health facilities where the interchange will reduce traffic and provide alternate routes away from the centre of Doha.   
The new three-level interchange, a first for Qatar, contains nine underpasses providing free flow traffic. The interchange also consists of two major bridges. One of them connects Rawdat Al Khail Street and Industrial area road in both directions while the other one connects E-Ring Road with the southern part of Doha Expressway in one direction ensuring a smooth flow of traffic in all directions. 
The 6.1km long Interchange consists of three to four lanes in each direction and accommodates about 30,000 vehicles per hour in both directions.
The new interchange, once completed in the second quarter of 2020, will significantly improve traffic flow reducing travel time by more than 70% of travel time. The Mesaimeer Interchange, a first in Qatar, connects six main roads, namely Mesaimeer Interchange, Doha Expressway, southern part of Doha Expressway, Sabah Al Ahmed Corridor, Industrial Area Road and Rawdat Al Khail Street.
The interchange also provides a vital traffic link between the south, central and north of the country. It links traffic from the south through the southern part of Doha Expressway, main carriageway of Doha Expressway and Al Shamal Road.
The Mesaimeer Interchange is located in a vital area that has many facilities including Al Thumama Stadium, one of the World Cup stadiums, where the interchange has three pedestrian bridges to ease people’s access.
The interchange also serves many important educational, health and commercial facilities such as the Medical Commission, Meteorological Department, many schools, health centres and nearby shopping malls. 
The Mesaimeer Interchange integrates with Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor linking Al Wattiyyat Interchange, a strategic link between the southern part of Doha Expressway and its main highway. This link provides free flow traffic between the north and south of the country through Doha. 
It is one of the vital interchanges in the country with two levels comprising three bridges and four underpasses for easy access of vehicles to nearby residential area of Al Thumama, Mesaimeer, Bu Hamour, Nuaija, Al Wakra and Al Wukair. 
The interchange provides free flow traffic for commuters from these areas to Hamad International Airport, to southern areas, Doha and northern areas of the country.
Related Story