The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) on Tuesday partly opened Al Jabal Intersection on Al Wakra Main Road after turning the old roundabout into a signalised intersection, according to a statement.

The new intersection connects Al Wakra Road and Mesaieed Road, Ras Al Jabal Street and Wadi Al Afja Street, as part of Al Wakra Main Road Upgrade Project. The opening was carried out in co-ordination with the General Directorate of Traffic.

Opened on Tuesday are lanes in each direction on Al Wakra Road, Mesaieed Road, and two lanes in each direction between Wadi Al Afja Street and Ras Al Jabal Street, where Al Wakra Road was expanded from two lanes in each direction to three.

Al Jabal junction, a major link, is located at the southern entrance of Al Wakra to connect the traffic coming from Mesaieed Road and the southern part of the Doha Expressway in the direction of Al Wakra Road to facilitate access to west Al Wakra via Wadi Al Afja Street or to the east of Al Wakra via Ras Al Jabal Street.

The new intersection facilitates access to many vital facilities such as Al Wakra Family Beach, Al Wakra Old Souq, Government Service Complex and a large number of residential and commercial complexes on each side of Al Wakra Main Road. It enhances traffic to Al Janoub Stadium through its proximity to the southern part of the Doha Express Highway leading to the World Cup Stadium.

Al Jabal Intersection is also an extension to Al Wakra Main Road connected to Al Wakra station where Al Wakra Road integrates with the Redline of Qatar Rail on its median, to tie Al Wakra and Doha through the two major stations of Al Wakra and Ras Bu Fontas.

By the end of 2020, Ashghal will complete the conversion of the Pearl and Ooredoo roundabouts to signalised intersections. Additionally two new signalised intersections will be constructed on Al Wakra Road, Al Razi Street and Al Wukair Road.

While announcing the opening, engineer Nouh al- Joof said that 66% of Al Wakra Main Road Upgrade Project has been completed. Once fully completed, this will improve traffic between Doha, Al Wakra and the southern areas.

The Ashghal official explained that the old roundabout has been converted into a signalised intersection to connect Al Wakra and Mesaieed so as to smoothly distribute traffic movement in all directions, from and to Al Wakra, Mesaieed and Al Wukair.

"The intersection will facilitate traffic between the cities of Al Wakra and Mesaieed and provide different routes for road users coming from Mesaieed towards Al Wakra and Doha, and for those coming from Al Wakra towards Al Wukair and Al Janoub Stadium," al-Joof said.

Al Wakra Road Achievements

Ashghal has completed many parts of Al Wakra Main Road Upgrade Project, where the intersection between Al Wakra Road and Ras Bu Fontas Street was recently opened partially to traffic. The intersection is located on Al Wakra Tunnel, opened in the fourth quarter of 2018. The openings are integrated with Al Wakra Metro Station, which is one of Qatar Rail's main stations.

The opening of the intersection and Al Wakra Tunnel has improved traffic between Doha and Al Wakra and has provided a free traffic flow for road users from Ras Bu Fontas station towards Pearl Roundabout.

Relocating the Pearl Monument

Ashghal had relocated the iconic Pearl structure to Al Wakra Souq and reinstalled it near Al Farda Roundabout in line with its strategy to develop infrastructure while preserving the country's cultural heritage within the purview of Qatar National Vision 2030. This was also to ease completion of work at Pearl Intersection transforming it from a roundabout to signalised intersection.

The Pearl Monument, which has a great symbolism for the residents of Al Wakra area, known for fishing and pearls, was originally installed on Al Wakra Road in the late 1980s, inspired from the history of this calm coastal town.

Al Wakra Main Road Works

Ashghal has started work on converting the Pearl Roundabout to a signalised intersection after the opening of Al Wakra Tunnel and parts of the project along the 3.5km from Ras Bu Fontas station to Barwa village.

Ashghal is working on completing the works of Al Wakra road development project. The construction works include extension of 5.5 kmroad from the Pearl Intersection up to the petrol station towards Mesaieed Road, including transferring Pearl, Ooredoo and Al Ajfah Roundabouts to signalised intersections. These are in addition to construction of two new intersections near Al Razi Street and Al Wukair Road.

Improving traffic flow

Al Wakra Road, which serves several residential neighbourhoods and commercial points in Al Wakra and Al Wukair areas, is one of the important projects in the southern region to ease direct traffic flow from Al Wakra towards Doha in the north and to Mesaieed towards south.

Al Wakra main road development is a continuation of the highway network projects in Qatar. It will have a significant impact on traffic in the southern region as travel time will be reduced by 60% on Al Wakra Road. It will also be integrated with the recently opened highway network such G Ring Road, Mesaieed Road and the southern part of Doha Expressway (Al Wakra Bypass Road), which is connected with Al Janoub Stadium, one of the venues hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.



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