* New bridge provides free-flowing traffic between Al Khafji St and Al Gharrafa St and connects West Bay, Al Markhiya, Madinat Khalifa and Duhail with Al Gharrafa and Al Rayyan


 

 Eng. Yousef Abdulrahman Al Emadi, Projects Affairs Director 


 

Badr Mohamed Darwish, Assistant Manager of Highway Projects Department

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) on Saturday announced the opening of the Duhail-Al Gharrafa bridge and a section of the traffic signals within the Duhail Interchange Development Project on Shamal Road.

The opening comes six months ahead of schedule and coincides with the opening of schools for the new, 2020-2021 academic year. Ashghal began implementing this project in the first quarter of 2019.

Consisting of a 400m three-lane dual carriageway to accommodate about 12,000 vehicles per hour on both directions, the bridge will provide free-flowing traffic between Al Khafaji Street and Al Gharrafa Street and reduce travel time by 95% from West Bay, Al Markhiya, Madinat Khalifa and Duhail towards Gharrafat Al Rayyan, Al Gharrafa and Al Rayyan. 

Ashghal has stressed that the remaining parts of the Duhail Interchange project are scheduled to open in September, within 18 months from the start of works on the project.

Dignitaries present at the opening included Yousef al-Emadi, Projects Affairs director; Bader Darwish, Highway Projects Department assistant manager; Mubarak bin Freish Mubarak Alsalem, CMC member (Constituency No 15); Ali bin Khalaf Majrin al-Kubaisi, CMC member (Constituency No 3); and other officials from Ashghal and the contracting company.










PICTURES: Ram Chand



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A section of the traffic signals under North Bridge have also been opened in addition to the Duhail Al-Gharrafa Bridge. So, commuters from Al Shamal Road can directly access Duhail and West Bay through Al Khafji Street and vice-versa, while those from Al Gharrafa can directly reach Al Shamal Road and vice-versa. Passengers along Al Gharrafa Street, Al Khafji Street and Shamal Road can take a U-turn after the opening of all U-turn exits on all streets.

Due to its strategic location at the northern entrance of Doha city on Shamal Road, the new openings on Duhail Interchange will enhance traffic flow in the region by providing alternative routes to schools, Qatar University and the College of the North Atlantic-Qatar and Education City. It will also serve commuters heading to commercial entities in the region.

Further, the openings will provide alternative traffic routes at the Izghawa and Umm Lekhba interchanges, which are being developed within the Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor project, resulting in reduced traffic congestion at two vital interchanges.

Al-Emadi stressed Ashghal's project works are continuing without any interruptions despite the blockade and Covid-19, and strong evidence of this can be found in the opening of the Duhail Al-Gharrafa Bridge and traffic six months before schedule.

Darwish said the Duhail Interchange will bring about a radical change in traffic flow once it’s completed. “The new bridge will help shorten distance and save travel time by more than 95% after renovation of the Duhail Interchange. Previously, road users had to use the congested, signalised Duhail Roundabout,” he noted.

Assistant project manager Sheikha al-Mansoori said 75% of works on Duhail Interchange have been completed in record time. “The remaining works are continuing in full swing to end the project in 2021,” she added.

She also noted that the opening of the Duhail Al-Gharrafa Bridge and a section of traffic lights at the interchange coincides with the start of the new academic year, as the area houses many schools and other educational institutions.

The Duhail Interchange is located in a densely populated and commercially important location as it houses many government institutions, educational and health facilities as well as commercial entities and shopping centres. The interchange will reduce the traffic pressure on Doha Expressway, especially in the Duhail and Al Gharrafa areas, and provide free-flowing vehicular movement in the area.

The project includes construction works for 3.3km of road network and development of an old interchange. It covers the construction of a bridge consisting of a three-lane dual carriageway connecting Al Khafji Street and Al Gharrafa Street along with the development of parts of the two streets, installing a traffic signal under the North Bridge to provide commuters on Shamal Road with accesses to Duhail and Al Gharrafa, construction of an underpass that facilitates access for commuters from Shamal Road towards service roads and commercial complexes and another service road for commuters from Al Gharrafa Street towards Al Shamal Road. The works also include removal of the roundabout known as Sheikh Faisal Roundabout and link Al Gharafa Road with Al Mashabiya Street.

The project also includes the construction of bicycle and pedestrian paths of about 5.5km stretching from Duhail to Al Gharrafa and parts of Shamal Road, besides works to develop rainwater drainage and sewage network.

Ashghal began implementation works on this project in the first quarter of 2019. In December 2019, it opened the North Bridge after providing five lanes towards the north and four lanes towards Doha, replacing the previous three-lane bridge, thus achieving tremendous development in traffic flow in the crowded area.