Qatar’s Public Works Authority Ashghal has begun construction work to redevelop and improve Rawdat Rashid Road, commonly referred to as “the road of death” by some residents due to the large number of fatal accidents that have taken place there.

Rawdat Rashid, which is located west of Doha, will be reworked up to the Umm Qarn area in five phases to “reduce the impact of construction works on residents and visitors of the area,” Ashghal said in a statement.

A spokesperson said a timeline for when the entire project would be completed remains unclear, but construction work on the first two phases are already underway and slated for a 2016 finish.

As part of the project, more street lights will be added to the road, which has been the site of many car accidents, due to its poor lighting and dangerous curves.

The road will also be widened to three lanes in each direction, including a right lane designated for heavy vehicles, to help increase traffic capacity on the road and reduce accidents.

”The project aims at providing a safe and developed road network linking Salwa Road to Dukhan Road and easing the traffic flow around the Rawdat Rashid residential area,” Ashghal said.

Details

The 33km road, which is parallel to Salwa Road, passes through the Rawdat Rashid area before reaching Dukhan Road.

Construction on phase one entails the creation of an 8.5km dual carriageway road with three lanes in each direction near Salwa Road, heading north to entrance of Rawdat Rashid district.

The second phase picks up where phase one ends and includes creating a 10.4km dual carriageway road with three lanes in each direction. It stretches to a new roundabout that will link to a road in Al Shahaniya municipality, past Rawdat Rashid.

“This phase will  improve the area by eliminating the traffic flow of heavy vehicles that currently drive through Rawdat Rashed residential area,” Ashghal said.

ALCAT Contracting Company started working on the first phase, while Bin Omran Trading Contracting is responsible for phase two of the project.

Safety concerns

Residents and the Central Municipal Council (CMC) have been calling for the redevelopment of Rawdat Rashid road for at least the last few years.

CMC member Mohammad Zafer Al Hajri previously told Al Arab that the narrow road is only 8m wide, and includes two lanes going in opposite directions, without any barriers between them.

He said that this contributes to accidents, especially when cars try to overtake the large trucks and vehicles driving through the road day and night.

Ashghal had initially announced that the development of Rawdat Rashid Road would start in 2014 and end in 2015.

Thoughts?