Arch Roundabout (commonly referred to as Rainbow RB) will shut starting Thursday, and construction at the junction will continue through 2015, public works authority Ashghal has announced.
Traffic in and around the intersection, a crucial one for West Bay traffic, will instead be rerouted to newly-built roads that connect Omar al-Mukhtar Street with the Lusail Street detour (heading toward Katara and The Pearl), as construction on a new expressway intensifies.
Here is a diagram from Ashghal of the latest construction detours:
The map also offers alternative route suggestions (in blue and red).
Ashghal will have traffic signals installed at two new intersections near Arch Roundabout to facilitate the alternative flow of traffic, and is also making several U-turns available.
In a statement sent out this evening, the public works authority stressed that all possible steps have been taken to minimize traffic disruption:
“Ashghal has been working relentlessly to complete these high quality alternative routes, built to highest technical and design specifications to insure minimal disruption during construction.
All necessary road signs have been installed at all diversions to provide clear directions for commuters. Ashghal has urged all road users to respect traffic rules and regulations for their safety and the safety of others.”
Once the construction is complete, Arch Roundabout will be transformed into a three-level interchange on the Lusail Expressway connecting Dafna and West Bay with the upcoming Lusail development.
Here are pictures from Ashghal of the new detour:
Work officially began last year on the 5.3km highway with no clear deadline for completion announced, before expanding last May to convert the other three roundabouts on Lusail Street into interchanges.
However, SMS and Twitter alerts sent by Ashghal today indicate the project is slated for completion in the second half of 2015.
Here we go again. Just when you thought it was safe to venture out on the roads.
When was it safe to venture out on the roads here? Before we got cars you mean :p
Damn!
That’s going to make it difficult to get to the Pearl – so no ‘biggie’ then! : )
Seeing you can’t get a drink at the pearl anymore, who cares!
Pity the poor people that live at the pearl and zig zag towers. May they rest in peace
people who go to the pearl for reasons other than getting wasted care and people living near that area like myself
4 up votes for me says otherwise!
As of right now: 11:23 PM, Mohammed has 8 up votes, to yours 6 up, and one down 😉
Oh no I have two down now! But 17 up!
There is a bit of a difference between enjoying a couple of pints or a couple of glasses of wine with one’s meal & ”getting wasted’. Just saying.
It’s like you don’t know us at all :p
Agreed and 90% of the people there were fine it’s the 10% of drunks that are unacceptable
Same for me 🙂
I think the residents would prefer people enjoying a wine with their meal at a restuarant than a bunch of joyriders on motorbikes and high performance cars keeping everyone awake. Just saying….
Seeing as I am a resident there I would like it if we got rid of both. I’m fine with a few beers or a glass of wine it’s the alcoholics throwing up and being drunk and disorderly that I can’t stand
Fair enough.
Maybe it’s a cunning traffic calming plan by Ashghal to stop the boy racers going over to the Pearl in their supercars and motorbikes to annoy the residents. Wonder where they will go now.
Two down votes? I can only assume that is because I’m being heaped in with the pro-booze lobby. That is unfortunate, my remark has no connection with booze.
I went there once, before the ban. All I saw was a few, very expensive, shops, restaurants and yachts dressing up a large scale building site. Certainly not a WooHooo experience, and any value as a casual haunt was beyond my salary scale.
I have been back since to see if there has been any change, there has. Fewer, very expensive, shops, restaurants and yachts dressing up a large scale building site. Booze does not even enter the equation.
They could re-instate booze tomorrow, I still feel wouldn’t feel motivated to go there, except for the convenience of having, possibly, a QDC some 20 km closer? It wouldn’t be for the Pearl experience.
So, roadworks making it inconvenient to get to the Pearl – No Biggie!
You know that people live there, right? For us, this is a “biggie.”
My condolences!
Looks like according to the newspaper this morning that we don’t need Ashghal anymore to plan future road projects. The police helicopter pilot and ground patrols are determining what needs to be done between Ramada and Midmac. Guess when they start these works Al Saad will be a no-go zone as it will be total gridlock.
I’m not sure the alternative route will be viable, with the 6 speed humps and manhole bumps…
Didn’t you know that speed humps are the growth industry in Qatar? They are springing up all over the place, normally under cover of darkness with no signs or markings, just waiting to catch the unsuspecting motorist.
I thought the idea of speed humps were that you can drive over them in a normal car at the correct speed limit, not rip the underside of a car unless it’s going over at walking pace? These speed humps cause congestion and accidents !!!
That’s the least of that’s roads problems. Twice a day it becomes completely blocked by lazy and ignorant parents picking/dropping off their children at the school on that road. Without a thought they will block off the two SINGLE lanes with their cars, get out and walk off to get their kids, completely jamming the whole road. The slightly less lazy ones will block off all the side roads and walk off to pick up their kids. The idea of trying to funnel traffic down there is utter lunacy, it will be pure chaos. This clearly hasn’t been thought through at all, it’s a massive gridlock waiting to happen. Unbelievable!