Football fans heading to the finals of the U-23 AFC Championships on Saturday may need to leave some extra time for their journey.

Ashghal has announced that the roundabout in front of the College of North Atlantic-Qatar in Duhail will be partially closed this weekend, as final works are underway to convert it into an intersection.

Japan is playing South Korea in the final match, which will be held at the Abdullah bin Khalifa (Lekhwiya SC) Stadium in Duhail on Saturday evening (Jan. 30). Notably, the main route to the stadium will have some roadworks and diversions.

Construction at the roundabout, which connects Arab League Street with Jelaiah Street and Al Duhail street, has been underway for months. It is among the latest busy roundabouts to be overhauled in a bid to ease congestion and improve traffic flow.

As one of the main routes to Qatar University (QU), the adjacent college and north Doha, there are often long lines of traffic at the roundabout, especially in peak hours.

In this latest phase of works, sections of the roundabout have been shut until 5am on Sunday (Jan. 31), when the new intersection will partially open, Ashghal said in a statement.

As a result, diversions will be in place this weekend as traffic is rerouted around adjacent streets.

The public works authority advised that traffic heading southbound from Jelaiah Street (in front of CNAQ and QU) should continue straight to Al Duhail Street, make a U-turn at the roundabout where Al Duhail and Environment streets meet, then turn right to the Arab League Street.

Meanwhile, motorists heading from Al Duhail Street and heading to the Arab League Street Northbound should go straight to Jelaiah Street, make a U-turn at the traffic signal by QU’s women’s campus entrance then turn right onto the Arab League Street.

Al Khor diversion

Meanwhile, in Al Khor, progress on works upgrading the town’s main street and adjacent roads mean that a 600m stretch of Al Khor Road has reopened one lane in each direction.

However, the part of Al Haidan Street that leads to Al Khor coastal roundabout has been closed for the construction of a new signal-controlled intersection near Al Khor compound of independent schools for girls, in addition to construction works to develop the infrastructure, storm water drainage network and road network in the area, Ashghal announced.

The old Main Street will also be closed from Saturday (Jan. 30) for six months and diversions will be in place, Ashghal added.

Thoughts?