The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has completed the temporary works related to the upgrade and development project of the Abu Samra border crossing in co-operation with the Permanent Committee for the Management of Abu Samra Border Crossing of the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
An Ashghal statement explained that this is in order to facilitate entry of arrivals coming to Qatar for the FIFA Arab Cup 2021. This will enable the expansion of the main port to increase the capacity before the start of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Lt-Col Khaled al-Buainain, chairman of the Permanent Committee for the Management of Abu Samra Border Crossing, said the crossing is fully prepared to handle the entry and exit of fans of all sporting events organised by Qatar in the near future, until the final expansion is completed.
“The MoI has taken steps for smooth and safe movements at the port, and the completion of temporary works to develop and expand the port will greatly contribute to complete procedures at the port smoothly and as soon as possible,” he said.
Capt Ali al-Buainain, project manager at the MoI, said the temporary expansion would increase the port’s capacity and improve the experience of visitors and fans coming to attend the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 and this was accomplished in record time as a result of close co-operation between relevant entities
 Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Al Obaidly |
Ahmed Mohamed al-Obaidly, head of the Southern Areas Section at the Roads Projects Department, Ashghal, said the upgrade and development works of the Abu Samra border crossing is important while Qatar is organising the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 and preparing to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 while turning the State into a global sports destination that attracts important events - proving its ability to host and organise mega global and regional sporting events with a high level of efficiency.
He also pointed out that the expansion works facilitate the movement of road users to enter and exit Qatar and provide comfortable travel conditions.
The first phase of the project included turning the arrival tracks into registration and PCR test points for the Ministry of Public Health, kiosks for payment, as well as 12 tracks for the Immigration Department. It also included the construction of an additional inspection yard that could accommodate 32 vehicles at a time, along with four checkpoints for Customs, four tracks for vehicle insurance, and four tracks for final checking before entering the country.
Al-Obaidly explained that when the total development works of the main crossing are completed by third quarter of 2022 in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2022, the developed crossing will provide services for travellers from and to Qatar with twice the capacity. This includes a number of new buildings and corridors, in addition to truck checking points serving 500 trucks at a time, with a total area covering 190,000sqm, to meet the requirements of port users.
Ashghal is keen to encourage local products and Qatari manufacturers when implementing all its projects, as many locally manufactured materials are used in the temporary and permanent works.
