Santosh Chandran
Doha
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) on Saturday opened the first phase of the Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor with a length of 13 km from Umm Lekhba Interchange in the north to Bu Hamour Bridge in the south. The project will fully open to traffic in the first quarter of 2021.
As part of the first phase, seven new bridges — three bridges each at Umm Lekhba Interchange and Al Waab Intersection and a cable-stayed bridge with a length of 1.2 km long — have been opened. So far, 21 out of the 32 bridges that make up the vital road have opened.
The opening also includes Al Luqta Tunnel that intersects with Al Luqta Street to directly link Al Luqta and Al Gharrafa.
The corridor will provide a free traffic flow along the road passing over 12 at-grade intersections, which will shorten the travel time by more than 50 percent. The road currently accommodates more than 8,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, which will positively affect traffic on February 22 Street and provide new alternatives for road users.
Ashghal President Dr Eng Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi said the opening of the first phase of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor came despite many challenges that the country has recently witnessed, such as the unjust blockade and the COVID-19 pandemic. The uninterrupted and smooth progress of work is indicative of the country’s endless support to infrastructure projects and to ensure their completion according to the deadlines.
Projects Affairs Director Eng Youssef Al Emadi said Ashghal had preceded the completion of the first phase of the Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor as it came about a year and a half after the launch of the project in February 2019, indicating that the project is expected to be completed in 2021.
Manager of Highway Project Department Eng Bader Darwish said the new openings will offer a free flow of traffic from Umm Lekhba Interchange on Al Shamal Road to Hamad International Airport. This will reduce traffic on 22 February Street, especially with the start of the new school year.
On his part, Eng Ali Ibrahim, from the Highway Project Department, said the three new bridges at Umm Lekhba Interchange provide new entrances and exits to Al Gharrafa area to offer an alternative option to Al Gharrafa Interchange, (known as the Immigration Interchange).
The cable-stayed bridge is the first of its kind in Qatar and opening it provides a free flow of traffic between Al Waab and Bu Hamour passing by Haloul and Faleh bin Nasser Interchange on Salwa Road.
The bridge opened on a temporary asphalt layer to temporarily accommodate traffic in both directions until traffic is later diverted to the northern part of it, in order to preserve the quality of the final layer of asphalt.
Doha
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) on Saturday opened the first phase of the Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor with a length of 13 km from Umm Lekhba Interchange in the north to Bu Hamour Bridge in the south. The project will fully open to traffic in the first quarter of 2021.
As part of the first phase, seven new bridges — three bridges each at Umm Lekhba Interchange and Al Waab Intersection and a cable-stayed bridge with a length of 1.2 km long — have been opened. So far, 21 out of the 32 bridges that make up the vital road have opened.
The opening also includes Al Luqta Tunnel that intersects with Al Luqta Street to directly link Al Luqta and Al Gharrafa.
The corridor will provide a free traffic flow along the road passing over 12 at-grade intersections, which will shorten the travel time by more than 50 percent. The road currently accommodates more than 8,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, which will positively affect traffic on February 22 Street and provide new alternatives for road users.
Ashghal President Dr Eng Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi said the opening of the first phase of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor came despite many challenges that the country has recently witnessed, such as the unjust blockade and the COVID-19 pandemic. The uninterrupted and smooth progress of work is indicative of the country’s endless support to infrastructure projects and to ensure their completion according to the deadlines.
Projects Affairs Director Eng Youssef Al Emadi said Ashghal had preceded the completion of the first phase of the Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor as it came about a year and a half after the launch of the project in February 2019, indicating that the project is expected to be completed in 2021.
Manager of Highway Project Department Eng Bader Darwish said the new openings will offer a free flow of traffic from Umm Lekhba Interchange on Al Shamal Road to Hamad International Airport. This will reduce traffic on 22 February Street, especially with the start of the new school year.
On his part, Eng Ali Ibrahim, from the Highway Project Department, said the three new bridges at Umm Lekhba Interchange provide new entrances and exits to Al Gharrafa area to offer an alternative option to Al Gharrafa Interchange, (known as the Immigration Interchange).
The cable-stayed bridge is the first of its kind in Qatar and opening it provides a free flow of traffic between Al Waab and Bu Hamour passing by Haloul and Faleh bin Nasser Interchange on Salwa Road.
The bridge opened on a temporary asphalt layer to temporarily accommodate traffic in both directions until traffic is later diverted to the northern part of it, in order to preserve the quality of the final layer of asphalt.