The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ has opened 37
kilometers of the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route project to traffic.
The opened parts included a 29 kilometer long section of
the New Orbital Highway between its intersection with the East West Corridor
and its intersection with Dukhan Highway, where three out of seven lanes were
opened to traffic, as well as an 8 kilometer long stretch of Mesaieed Road,
from South Al Wakra to Hamad Port, with two out of four lanes were opened to
traffic.
The opening of these parts of the Orbital Highway comes as
part of a series of partial openings of the other remaining sections over the
coming few months until the final delivery of the project in 2018.
Eng. Yousef Al Emadi, Manager of Expressway Department in
Ashghal, stated that the new works opened 30 days before deadline since Ashghal
had rescheduled some projects incorporating the New Orbital Highway and Truck
Route, in line with Ashghal’s commitment to deliver the expressway projects on
or before time.
The latest opening is the second accomplishment of the New
Orbital Highway project this year, as Ashghal had inaugurated the linking road
between Hamad Port and Truck Route on February 27, 2017.
A couple of bridges opened in the interchange linking
Orbital Highway and Dukhan Highway, to be fully in use in the following months
since 75% of structure works of the interchange were already completed. The
Orbital Dukhan Interchange is a key access point on Dukhan Highway linking the
vital Al Jahhaniya Interchange on Dukhan road, Al Rayyan area, and Al Shamal
Road.
Also, the interchange connecting the Orbital Highway and
East West Corridor is 75% complete as one of the bridges dedicated for light
vehicles and a tunnel dedicated for heavy vehicles from East West Corridor to
Orbital Highway were opened. Once completed, the junction will involve three
levels, two bridges, and two tunnels in order to enhance traffic between the
East West Corridor and The New Orbital Highway.
The 29 km section provides a direct connection with Salwa
Road and Dukhan Highway to form an alternative route apart from Doha that would
help cut traffic jams.
The new route is a key connection to several economic and
agricultural activities, since a host of farms and the logistics Village are
situated along the Orbital highway. Noteworthy, the three lanes replaced the
two lanes in the previous route, catering for 6000 vehicle per hour in each
direction in lieu of 4000 vehicle per hour that would reduce journey times, and
a hard shoulder was established for faster journey with less accident rate.
On the other hand, the 8 kilometre long Mesaieed Road,
from South Al Wakra to Hamad Port, will enhance traffic and create easier
access to travelers from Doha and Al Wakra to Hamad Port and southern areas.
The Orbital Highway enhances the flow of traffic and
shortens journey times by 50%:
The New Orbital Highway and Truck Route project is
considered as an important addition to the road network in Qatar; it will serve
as a vital link between the southern and northern areas in Qatar. The project
is located to the North, West, and South of Doha City, and includes a total of
around 195 km of roads, starting from Mesaieed areas in the South to the West
of Al Khor city in the North.
The project also includes the construction of 21 main
interchanges, including tunnels and flyovers, connecting the Orbital with the
highways and main roads such as the East West Corridor, Salwa Road, Dukhan
Highway, and Al Shamal. This will significantly enhance the flow of traffic and
shorten the journey times by around 50% on average, compared to the time spent
in the same journey using the existing roads.