The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ announces the completion of a number of roads projects, ahead of Eid Al-Adha and the new academic year, to reduce traffic congestion.

Ashghal announces that on Wednesday, August 30, 2017, Messila tunnel will be opened to traffic, as part of Phase 2 of Al Rayyan Road Development Project, in addition to the opening of Jassim bin Hamad Street, which is directly connected to Al Rayyan Road that has been expanded. This is in addition to the partial opening of the Old Traffic Roundabout, which is being converted to a signal-controlled intersection.

This opening is part of a series of upcoming openings in the coming days, which include the opening of Ali bin Abi Talib Street, the TV and Sports Intersections, as well as the two tunnels beneath the Pearl Interchange.

Messila Tunnel, located under Al Rayyan Road, 800 metres to the west of the Olympic Roundabout, is the first construction achievement in Phase 2 of Al Rayyan Road Development Project.

The opened part of the project includes the opening of 2 km of Al Rayyan Road with four lanes in each direction, and Messila Tunnel which stretches under Al Rayyan Road and links Jassim bin Hamad Street and Al Rayyan Road, including two lanes in each direction. The tunnel also comprises an exit loop to and from Al Rayyan Road and to Messila Tunnel with two lanes in each direction.

The project also includes a U-turn above Messila Tunnel, as well as the entrances and service roads linking Al Rayyan Road and Jassim bin Hamad Road.

The newly opened two kilometer stretch of the main road has been expanded to four lanes in each direction, which will increase the capacity of the road from 5,700 vehicles to 7,600 vehicles per hour, thus reducing congestion in that area, especially with the opening of service roads and entrances that will facilitate movement from Jassim bin Hamad Street to Al Rayyan Road and vice versa.

Messila Tunnel will enable access from Dukhan, Bani Hajar and New Al Rayyan to Jassim bin Hamad Street via the service road located east of Al Rayyan Road, and by using the tunnel’s loop to reach Jassim bin Hamad Street. This was not possible before the opening of Messila Tunnel, where those coming from Dukhan could not reach Jassim bin Hamad Street through Al Rayyan Road.

The new Tunnel will also facilitate the direct access from Madinat Khalifa to Al Rayyan Road. In the past, travellers from Madinat Khalifa had to go through a number of local roads and traffic diversions to reach the Olympic Roundabout, which is a 20 minute journey.

Now after the opening of Messila Tunnel, travellers can use the tunnel on Jassim bin Hamad Street and take the loop to enter Al Rayyan Road and from it to the Olympic Roundabout in about 8 minutes. This will shorten the journey time by 60% compared to the use of internal roads and the previous traffic diversions.

The opening of Messila Tunnel is considered the beginning of the construction achievements in Phase 2 of Al Rayyan Road Development Project, which includes the development of 5.5 km west of the Olympic Roundabout, to the west of Abdullah bin Khalid Al Attiyah Roundabout. This is in addition to the development of 6 km of side roads and services related to the project.

The project includes the construction of six multi-level interchanges: Al Rayyan Road Intersection with Jassim bin Hamad Street, the first construction achievement of the project, in addition to the fact that Messila Tunnel includes an intersection with at grade traffic signals.

The interchanges also include Al Rayyan Interchange, a four-level interchange, Al Rayyan intersection with Al Bustan Street, three-level interchange, in addition to Lebayeh Interchange with four levels, Khalid bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, three-level interchange and old Al-Rayyan Interchange a two-level interchange. The project is planned to be completed by the end of 2018.