​The Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’ recently completed maintenance and development works on a number of roads in Hazm Al Markhiya and Lejbailat areas, part of the framework contracts for road maintenance in the country.

Ashghal assigned the works to local contractors, as multiple teams worked to complete the project within seven months instead of 12, and five months ahead of schedule. These works included paving, marking, maintenance and rehabilitation of the asphalt layer for about 21 km of internal roads in both Hazm Al Markhiya and Lejbailat areas, using Qatari-manufactured materials.

Engineer Mohammed Al Khashabi, Civil Engineer at Roads Operation and Maintenance Department at Ashghal, said: “Ashghal installed 18 new lighting poles with LED lights, while 18 old lighting lamps were replaced with new LEDs to improve visibility and save energy.

“In addition, to installing and rehabilitating around 7000 square metres of sidewalks within an area of 10,000 square meters, with the aim of providing a safe and better experience for road-travelers and residents of these areas.”

It is worth noting that maintenance and improvement works are carried out and identified after inspecting internal roads and the safety elements surrounding them, from lighting, speed humps, pavement status, traffic and directional signs.

Maintenance and development works included replacing the top asphalt layer in some roads, treating the asphalt defects in the main and local roads, developing lighting poles, replacing lamps, developing traffic lights, in addition to installing directional and traffic signs to ensure safety on the road.

These works were implemented while taking into consideration requests made by residents and in cooperation with representatives of the Municipality and members of the Municipal Council for each area.

In order to maintain the health and safety of workers at the project site, especially during Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, all necessary precautions and preventive measures were taken and implemented. These included adherence to social distancing and provision of protective masks, sterilization of tools and other stringent health and safety measures.

Ashghal began the implementation of the Framework Contract for Road Maintenance in Qatar in 2017, which includes safety inspections, rehabilitation, replacement and maintenance of the road networks, including urgent, routine and preventive maintenance.