The link road between the New Hamad Port
and the Truck Route opened Monday, 27 February, 2017, as part of the New
Orbital Highway and Truck Route project. The opening took place in the presence of H.E. Mr. Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transportand
Communications, H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Rumehi, Minister of
Municipality and Environment, and H.E. Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad
Al Muhannadi, President of the Public Works Authority.
Senior figures
participated in the opening event, including officials
from ministries of Transport and Communications, and Municipality and Environment,
Ashghal, CEO of Qatar
Ports Management Company, the General
Directorate of Traffic, the Central
Municipality Council representative, and Director of Al Wakra Municipality.
During the site visit to the project’s sites, the ministers and attendees
were briefed about the ongoing progress and the planned schedule for the implementation
of its different phases.
The road
leading to Hamad Port, the first milestone of the Orbital Highway Project:
Considered the main road leading
from and to Hamad Port up to the Truck Route and from there to the rest of
Qatar, opening of this road represents the first milestone in the New Orbital
Highway Project. The road is over five kilometres long and includes a multi-level
major interchange with Mesaieed Road, providing a free-flowing traffic movement
in all directions without traffic lights or roundabouts up to the Truck Route.
The new road includes four lanes in each direction in order to accommodate the
heavy goods vehicles movement from and to the port, which reaches more than
2,500 vehicle per day. The road also provides uninterrupted transit to Hamad
Port, Mesaieed, Al Wakra, and the Temporary Truck Route. This will be reflected
positively on the trade movement from and to the New Hamad Port up to Abu Samra
Border Post through the future phases of the Orbital Highway and Salwa Road,
which will enhance Hamad Port’s position as a regional hub for the movement of
goods in Qatar and the Gulf in General.
Minister of Transport and
Communications:
Ashghal would
conclude the remaining phases of the project efficiently Commenting on the opening, H.E.
Mr. Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications expressed his gratitude for the efforts
exerted by Ashghal to open the new road between Hamad Port and Truck Route and
voiced his confidence that Ashghal would conclude the remaining phases of the
project efficiently as an integral part of Qatar National Vision 2030, the
vision set by HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and the instructions of HE the Prime Minister
and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasserbin Khalifa Al-Thani to complete projects per the schedule.
He stressed that the upcoming milestones in
April and July would witness bigger achievements as desired.
Minister of Municipality and
Environment: Ashghal completed the route as planned
For his part, H.E.
Mr. Mohammed bin
Abdullah Al-Rumehi, Minister of Municipality and Environment praised the fast delivery of the link road, noting that
Ashghal was committed to complete the milestone as agreed.
He highlighted
the importance of the open route, adding that the accomplishments expected in
the near future in terms of the Orbital Highway project would provide excellent
road and transport services since there is a segregation between the movements
of heavy and light trucks.
H.E. President of the Public Works Authority: Ashghal is committed
to accelerating the pace of the project implementation
For his side, H.E. Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President
of the Public Works Authority, has emphasized Ashghal’s commitment to
accelerating implementation of all phases of the New Orbital Highway project,
and to set early dates for partial openings of those phases before the
pre-scheduled dates, which will be achieved over the next few months. The
President stressed that the New Orbital Highway is so crucial that it would
save travel time to 50% and accommodate freely over 1500 trucks per hour.
Assistant
President of Ashghal: Thanks to Kahrama and Q
Engineer Abdullah Hamad Al Attiya, Assistant
President of Ashghal thanked each of the Qatar General Electricity and Water
Corporation "KAHRAMAA" and Qatar Petroleum for their support, saying
that but for their cooperation with Ashghal in the implementation of this vital
part of the project, it would not have helped Ashghal to accelerate the
completion of the works before the planned date.
CEO of Qatar
Ports Management Company: the Opening has a great impact upon the easy movement
of goods from Hamad Port
CEO of Qatar
Ports Management Company Captain Abdullah Al Khanji applauded the achievement,
noting that it is a vital opening that serves Hamad Port which would have a
great impact upon the easy movement of goods from the Port, to the New Orbital
Highway until they reach their stores.
Next April is planned to witness partial
openings of the following roads, as part of the project:
- Mesaieed
Road
- The Orbital Highway phase extending from the
East West Corridor to Dukhan Highway through Salwa Road
In addition, the following roads will be
partially opened to traffic next July:
- The Orbital Highway phase extending from Dukhan
Highway to Al Gharrafa Road
- The Orbital Highway phase located between
Mesaieed Road and the East West Corridor
- The road linking between the Northern entrance
of Hamad Port and the Industrial Area
- The road linking between Dukhan Highway and Al Mazrooah
Road
- The Orbital Highway phase extending from Dukhan
Highway to the West of Al Shamal Road, near Al Khor City
The Orbital
Highway enhances the flow of traffic and shortens journey times by 50%:
The New Orbital Highway and Truck Route project is considered an
important addition to the roads 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.
The Orbital
Highway reduce traffic congestion in Doha:
Upon completion, the New Orbital Highway project will provide fast
and direct roads linking between the most important areas of economic activity
in the country, including Mesaieed, New Hamad Port, Dukhan, Al Khor, and Ras
Laffan. This will eliminate the need to pass through the main residential areas
in Al Wakra, Doha, Al Khor, which will have a great positive impact on reducing
traffic congestion in those areas as well as reducing air pollution.
The Orbital
Highway Enhances Traffic Safety by the Separating Heavy Vehicles Movement:
The project design includes the construction
of a dual carriageway that consists of seven lanes in each direction. It
includes a unique feature which is separating the lanes of heavy vehicles from
the lanes of cars and other vehicles by providing five lanes for cars and light
vehicles, and two lanes for heavy vehicles in each direction. This will play an
important role in enhancing traffic safety and reducing accidents through
separating the movement of fast cars from that of the relatively slow vehicles,
which will increase the flow of traffic and movement of goods throughout the
country. The road is designed to accommodate up to 1500 Heavy
Good Vehicles (HGV) per hour in each direction; it can cater for general
traffic volumes at approximately 8,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.
Implementation Phases of New Orbital
Highway Project:
The project comprises four contracts that
are implemented simultaneously as
follows:
Contract 1
This phase includes the construction of
a 45 km long road and four main interchanges, providing a new dual carriageway
connecting the New Hamad Port and Al Wakra bypass with the other phases of the
New Orbital Highway. This is in addition to constructing a new road linking
Mesaieed Road to the East West Corridor.
Contract 2
This contract includes the construction of a 48 km
long road with eight two-level interchanges. It is located to the north and
west of Doha City, starting at Salwa Road, passing Dukhan Highway and Al Shamal
Road.
Contract 3
A 55
km long road will be constructed as part of this phase, including five
interchanges. The road stretches from Mesaieed Industrial City Interchange up
to Salwa Road, connecting Mesaieed Road 1, Al Wukair Road 1, and Al Wukair 2.
The road also forms a link between the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route and
the East West Corridor project.
Contract 4
This phase includes the construction of a 42 km long
road and five interchanges. The road connects between Dukhan Highway and its
connection Al Shamal Road, and Al Khor Link Road.
An integrated infrastructure will also be provided through this project,
including storm water drainage systems, treated water networks for irrigation,
communication networks, street lighting, and intelligent transport systems
(ITS).