New road opens cutting travel time to Al Khor
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday inaugurated the main carriageway and three vital interchanges of Al Khor Road, which will enable motorists to travel from Al Khor to Doha in around 20 minutes.
The road was opened in the presence of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, ministers, government officials, Ashghal representatives and project contractors.
The 33-km main carriageway of
Al Khor Road, linking Doha with Al Khor, has been delivered a year ahead of schedule as it was originally set to open in the second quarter of 2020, Ashghal said in a statement. Also, the Simaisma Interchange on Al Majd Road and an interchange on Al Turfa Street are now fully open to traffic.
The road will help enhance northeast and south-west connectivity and also significantly save travel time, according to Ashghal.
The Al Khor Road main carriageway will serve as an alternative to Al Shamal Road and allow road users coming from Al Khor to reach their desired destinations by saving the travel time by up to 65% compared to the same journey via Al Shamal Road.
The main carriageway was opened after completing upgrading works that transformed the old road into an expressway extending from Al Khor Road in Al Khor to Qatar University Street in Doha.
The old road layout had up to two lanes in each direction, which is now upgraded to five in each direction in addition to two emergency lanes. The new road layout will considerably upgrade the vehicular capacity from 8,000 to 20,000 vehicles per hour in both directions, improve traffic movement and enhance road safety.
Also, the project’s special design allows for a wide central median that will accommodate the railway line, connecting Al Khor to Doha with two main stations.
The newly opened road is strategically linked with major expressways such as Al Majd Road, which will provide connectivity with several major highways and allow free-flowing navigation across the western and southern areas of Qatar.
Primarily, Al Khor Road directly serves more than 20 residential areas along its carriageway in addition to a number of economic, commercial and public establishments in surrounding areas.
In addition to being an alternative and parallel road to Al Shamal Road and the main link between the north and east of Qatar, Al Khor Road will create new demographic and urban areas extending along the east coast of Doha to Al Khor and Ras Laffan.
“The road will become the centre of development to encourage the population of Doha to move outside the city and reconstruct the eastern areas of Qatar to Al Khor, so Lusail becomes an ideal city to live in,” Ashghal said, adding that the project will open the doors for more investments in business, real estate and agriculture.
Al Khor Road is composed of 10 multi-level interchanges, six of which provide free flow connection to main roads such as Simaisma Road, Al Majd Road and Al Turfa Street and facilitate access to Al Shamal Road and Lusail Expressway. These interchanges comprise of eight bridges, 22 underpasses and a camel crossing to connect Lusail’s Reserves.
After having partially opened three interchanges on Al Khor Road in November 2018, Ashghal has now announced their full opening - Simaisma Interchange, Al Khor Road’s intersection with Al Majd Road, and Al Khor Road’s intersection with Al Turfa Street.
Located on the intersection of Al Khor Road with Simaisma Road, the Simaisma Interchange includes a main bridge, four loops and four right exits to provide free-flowing connectivity in all directions for road users coming from Al Shamal Road and Al Khor Road.
It is considered the main access to the city of Simaisma and provides a direct link to the Umm Qarn area. It also serves several leisure facilities such as the Simaisma beach, Youth Centre and Resort.
Al Khor Road’s intersection with Al Majd Road is a two-level interchange consisting of a main bridge that connects Lusail City with Al Majd Road and Al Shamal Road via the Al Mazrooah Interchange. It also includes four loops and four exits to connect Lusail City, Rawdat Al Hamama, Al Kheesa, Al Sakhama, Umm Slal and Al Mazrooah areas and facilitate access to several sports facilities and educational institutions such as Lusail Sports Complex and Community College of Qatar.
Besides its significant role in linking multiple residential areas, this interchange will make it easy for road users coming from Doha and Al Khor to reach Lusail and Al Bayt Stadium in record time to attend football matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums, Ashghal said.
Considered as the two-level main entrance to Lusail City, the interchange at Al Khor Road’s intersection with Al Turfa Street will facilitate access for traffic coming from Al Shamal Road via the Izghawa Interchange and Al Turfa Street and heading towards Lusail and Doha. Its special design, also known as partial cloverleaf, is composed of two loops and four right exits and delivers free-flowing traffic movement between Lusail, Al Ebb, Leabib, Al Turfa and Izghawa. The interchange also includes a main bridge to allow traffic coming from Al Turfa Street to continue north on Al Khor Road.
This interchange will significantly enhance access to Qatar University, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies as well as Doha Golf Club.
Meanwhile, HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti said Al Khor Road is one of the most important arterial roads that will make a difference in land transportation, which is expected to be significantly enhanced in the northern and eastern regions.
The road will connect Al Khor with Doha in approximately 20 minutes, and it also involves the highest levels of road safety with its provision of five lanes in each direction, in addition to the fact that it is considered the most adequate alternative to Al Shamal Road. HE the Minister said the special design of Al Khor Road allows for the wide central median to accommodate the rail line, which would provide additional means of transportation to residents in the areas it traverses.
He also emphasised that during the construction phase, all future infrastructure construction projects were taken into consideration, especially telecommunications, in addition to rainwater and drainage systems without having to perform any additional excavation anew, highlighting the fact that this futuristic approach will be used in all State development projects.
HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie noted that Qatar has made outstanding achievements in the development of infrastructure projects, which have been delivered according to plan.
He said Al Khor Road provides access to multiple regions from the north to Doha, especially as it serves more than 20 residential areas such as Al Khor, Lusail and The Pearl-Qatar as well as areas located to the east of Al Shamal Road like Al Kheesa, Al Ebb and Leabaib.
He also noted that Al Khor Road is a key factor in sustaining the east coast’s development - creating new communities and a favourable environment for investments in real estate, industrial and many other sectors that will encourage people to settle along the surrounding areas of Al Khor Road.
Dr Saad bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, president of Ashghal, expressed gratitude for the wise leadership whose vision and direction have been pivotal in delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure. He also expressed pride in opening Al Khor Road one year ahead of schedule and three years and a half before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, especially as it links Al Bayt Stadium with Lusail Stadium.