The Public Works Authority opened today the main
tunnel in Onaiza Interchange, which is one of the key three Interchanges on
Lusail Expressway. The opening was in attendance of H.E. Dr. Eng. Saad bin
Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President of the Public Works Authority, and a number of
senior officials from the Ministry of Transportation and Communication, from the
Public Works Authority and from the General Directorate of Traffic in the
Ministry of Interior.
H.E. Dr. Eng. Saad
bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President of the Public Works Authority said that the opening of the main tunnel in Onaiza Interchange comes
after a week of the inspectional visit of H.E. the Prime Minister and Minister
of Interior to the tunnel site. This emphasises that H.E.’s continuous visits
to projects’ sites, without a doubt, form a great support and important
motivation for everyone in Ashghal and the contractors to double the efforts
and projects progress, which was achieved through the opening of this important
part of Lusail Expressway, four months ahead of schedule.
H.E. also pointed out the keenness of H.E. the Prime Minister to
continue the close onsite follow up of the projects’ progress, and H.E.
directions to deliver Ashghal’s projects on time or ahead of schedule.
H.E. Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi said that the opening of the
main tunnel in Onaiza Interchange today will contribute in a positive way in
enhancing the traffic flow in the area. While the full positive impact will be
felt more after the completion of the whole Lusail Expressway in January 2018, which
will reduce the travel time significantly.
He said that the coming months will witness the opening of important
parts of the project. Next June will witness the opening of the main bridge in
West Bay Interchange. Also two new tunnels will open in The Pearl Interchange
next September, prior to the full completion of the project, which also
includes more than 6.5 kilometres of pedestrians and cyclists paths.
Main Tunnel
in Onaiza Interchange:
The tunnel
is located at the traffic lights of the current Onaiza Interchange (Doha
Exhibition Centre traffic lights) and it stretches until the signal-controlled
intersection in front of the Cultural Village “Katara”. The tunnel is 630
metres long and about 1 kilometre long with the access roads leading to it from
south and north.
Three out of
four lanes are now open in the tunnel, which will provide free flow traffic for
those coming from the Pearl and northern areas towards West Bay in the south,
without the need to stop at the traffic light in front of the old exhibition
centre.
Remaining works on Onaiza Interchange will be
completed, including the bridge that will connect east of Onaiza Street with
the areas it covers, such as the Cultural Village “Katara” and a number of
hotels, commercial and residential areas west of Onaiza Street.
The murals that Onaiza Tunnel is characterised
by, are one of the architectural and artistic elements inspired by the Qatari
pearl diving marine heritage. These patterns, which are derived from the
fisherman’s net with its blue colour, suggest that they are ripples of a diver
under the water, and at the end of the tunnel the ripples fade away in the
horizon. The lighting poles were also chosen in a new way to add an aesthetic
dimension in line with the overall design.
Lusail Expressway Project:
Lusail Expressway is one of the key projects of
the Expressway Programme that the Public Works Authority is implementing. It is
located in a vital area that connects Doha with Lusail City, and covers many
public destinations such as the Pearl in the north, via Katara and the
Diplomatic Area, and a big number of residential areas, hotels, malls and other
facilities.
The project work area stretches over 5.5
kilometre from Lusail City in the north to the West Bay area in the south. The
project works include three main multi-level interchanges, which are the Pearl
Interchange, Onaiza Interchange, and West Bay Interchange, in addition to two
marine bridges over the South and North Canal Crossings near the Pearl and
Lusail City.
Upon its completion, the main carriageway of
Lusail Expressway will consist of four lanes in each direction, in addition to
a big number of feeder service roads to connect the different destinations with
the expressway.
The design also focuses on enhancing traffic
safety for pedestrians and providing healthy lifestyle, through building 6.5
kilometres of separate pedestrians and cyclists paths.
After the completion of the main tunnel, work on the four-level Onaiza
Interchange will continue, which includes a main road with four lanes in each
direction between West Bay Interchange and the Pearl Interchange. It also
includes besides Onaiza Tunnel, which will open in April, a flyover that will
connect east of Onaiza Street and the areas it covers such as the Cultural
Village “Katara” and residential areas and hotels in the area, with the west of
Onaiza Street, which also includes residential areas and a number of embassies
and schools.
In June 2017, the flyover in West Bay
Interchange will open to traffic, and will carry the traffic coming from Katara
to the West Bay without stopping. This will enhance traffic flow in the area
and provide a work zone on the ground level of the interchange to continue
construction works of West Bay Interchange. This interchange is a three-level
interchange that includes the main road on the lower level with three lanes in
each direction and connects south of West Bay Interchange with the northern
areas. The ground level of the interchange will connect Omar Al Mukhtar Street
with University Street in the west and Doha City in the east.
In September 2017, two separate tunnels will
open in the Pearl Interchange, to accommodate traffic coming from and to the Pearl
and connecting it with the expressway, using the two marine canals in the north
and south. This will significantly reduce traffic congestion at the Pearl Interchange.
Other works will continue on the Pearl
Interchange, which is a three-level interchange that will provide access to and
from the residential areas in Legtaifiya Lagoon, and commercial and public
institutes in the area. It will also connect Doha City with Lusail City and
northern areas through the two marine bridges that are characterised by their
unique design that includes waterfalls on their sides. These are the north
Canal Crossing which is 200 metres long and will have six lanes in each
direction providing direct access to Lusail City and norther areas. As for the
South Canal Crossing, it is 125 metres long and will have eight lanes in each
direction between Onaiza Interchange and the Pearl Interchange.
The Unique Architectural
Character for Lusail Expressway:
The design of Lusail
Expressway is an integrated system that provides traffic flow and connects Doha
with the West Bay, to enhance access to the important destinations and
landmarks that the area covers.
The architectural
characteristic of the project is inspired by the old heritage Qatari vocabulary.
It forms a combination of
Qatar’s past and future, given that it is the main expressway on the sea front
that stretches over the northern coast of Doha City.
Lusail Expressway stretches
parallel to the important landmarks and destinations on Doha’s coast, and with
its location that includes the most important attractions in the country, it
will become a “painting” and a road that is characterised by a unique view
inspired by the old Qatari heritage in a contemporary vision.