Motorists out and about in southern Doha this weekend may need to add some extra time to their journeys as two new sets of road closures take effect.

The first closure will be in Abu Hamour at the junction of Wholesale Market St. and Mesaimeer Road, Ashghal said.

This is to enable work on utilities ducts, as part of the Rawdat Al Khail St. extension project, the Public Works Authority added in a statement.

Starting tomorrow, the stretch of Mesaimeer Road between Rawdat Al Khail Street and Al Erbayyat Street will be shut in both directions, while a section of Wholesale Market Street (between passport and immigration office to near Al Jazeera Academy) will also close both ways to traffic.

As work goes on, diversions will be in place for the next two weekends. They begin early tomorrow morning at 1am and last until 4am on Sunday, May 29. The same roads will close again at 11pm on June 2 and reopen at 5am on June 5.

Planned to be completed by the end of this year according to Ashghal’s website, the work involves creating 8km of dual carriageway on a stretch of Abu Hamour Road/Rawdat Al Khail Street and a further 2km on F-Ring Road.

This project aims to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow between the Industrial Area and central Doha, while also providing better connections to F-Ring Road and Barwa Avenue.

Old Airport closure

Meanwhile, diversions will also be in place in the Old Airport area starting today and lasting for three weeks.

Part of Oqba Bin Nafie St. where it meets Najma St. and south of The Mall will be closed while works are underway for conversion of the junction to a signal-controlled intersection, Ashghal said.

Traffic to the area will instead be diverted via Ahmad bin Hanbal St. and other local roads.

Will the work affect your journeys? Thoughts?