One of Qatar’s most vital and congested roads will be revamped in four phases over the next year, with construction on the first phase starting May 1, the country’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced.

Some 6.3km of C Ring Road, starting with Umm Ghuwailina (VIP) Roundabout and ending with the Ramada Junction, will be overhauled to increase road capacity on C Ring by 25 percent.

The affected intersections will include Najma (Toyota Signal), Al Mansoora (Gulf Cinema signal), Rawdat AlKhail (Holiday Villa signal), New Salata (near the former Al Andalus Petrol station), and Jabur bin Ahmed (Ramada signal).

Construction work on these sections will entail:

• Widening the road from three to four lanes;
• Establishing pedestrian crossings at all four intersections under construction;
• Installing three U-turn lanes with pedestrian crossings in the 6.3km stretch (not specified where);
• Construction of permanent roads with new traffic signals and street lighting; and
• Upgrading irrigation pipes in the area.

The first affected area will be from VIP Roundabout (which will be converted to a signalized intersection), to halfway between Toyota and Gulf Cinema signals. Construction on this swathe of road is expected to go from May 1 to the third quarter of the year – which could be as late as September.

According to Ashghal, three lanes will remain open to traffic in both directions throughout the construction period. In a statement, it added:

As part of phase 1, service roads in the area will be closed to traffic. During construction, pedestrian crossings will be provided as access to businesses and residents living in the vicinity of the construction area. Also, side-walks will be available to gain access to the entrance of properties.

The four phases will be carried out with a scheduled completion date of mid-2015.

Ashghal did not specify the cost of the project, which is being implemented by Qatari contracting company Bin Omran Trading and Contracting. But last year, the Public Works Authority floated a $1.8 million tender to overhaul C Ring.

That bid described the project as a 24/7 effort and included a plan to install an intelligent transportation system, presumably akin to the synchronized signals that went up on the Corniche last year.

To keep people informed about the overhaul, Ashghal said it is distributing fliers in English and Arabic to residents of the areas under work.

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