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Ashghal > Home > Media Hub > Press Releases Opening of the road linking new Hamad port to truck road

Opening of Link Road between Hamad Port and Truck Route

2/27/2017

Ministers of Transport and Municipality witness the progress of the Orbital Highway and open the link road from Hamad Port to Truck Route

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).