Ashghal opens new bridge to ease Mesaimeer congestion

To help tackle traffic woes on E-Ring Road, public works authority Ashghal has announced the opening of a temporary steel bridge built over the Mesaimeer Junction (Al Obaidli Roundabout).

In a statement, Ashghal said that Mesaimeer junction is “already at full capacity.” It continued:

“(The bridge) represents an interim solution to ease the congestion issues in the area, until the completion of development works of E-Ring Road.

Road users can now benefit from reduced travel time and take advantage of a free flow route from Al Thumama roundabout towards Bu Hamour area without the need to travel through Mesaimeer Junction, which will significantly relieve traffic congestion in this area.”

The move comes over a year after Ashghal was awarded a series of contracts totaling some QR48.2 billion (US$13.2 billion) to improve transportation and healthcare systems in the country.

One of those projects is converting E-Ring Road from Al Muntazah intersection to Airport Road intersection (Ahmad Al-Ahmad intersection) into a four-lane expressway.

Work on the area began last June, with the closure of the road leading to the church from the roundabout, and the implementation of a new traffic signal 200m south of the roundabout. Completion is expected by 2016.

The one-way temporary bridge, which will allow residents to turn left from E-Ring Road towards Rawdat Al Khail Street, stands at around 240 m long, and cost about QR30 million ($8.2 million) to build.

To ensure the safety of the road users and to reduce traffic accidents, a speed limit of 50km/hour has been implemented, and no heavy vehicles will be allowed to use the bridge.

Other major road overhauls that Ashghal is currently leading include work on C-Ring Road, F-Ring Road, and Al Rayyan Road.

The continuous construction and subsequent traffic jams have drawn criticism from numerous residents, some of whom have expressed their frustration on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AlexbintEisa/status/517364744068419586

A friend coming to mine, been in a taxi 1hr 25minutes still not near. Coming from city centre about 4 miles from mine. #DohaTraffic

— Graham A (@graham1A) October 1, 2014