By Doha News team
Qatar’s public works authority has announced temporary partial-closures at a number of busy junctions across town starting this weekend.
The new diversions are being set up in West Bay, Education City, Al Thumama and the Umm Slal Mohammed areas.
Some of the detours will facilitate construction of parts of two major highways: the Lusail Expressway and Dukhan Highway East.
Dafna closure
The first set of works will affect traffic heading from Katara Cultural Village and the Pearl-Qatar to some of the embassies and schools in Dafna/West Bay.
Starting tomorrow (May 6) and throughout the month of May, the right-turn lane from Omar Al Mukhtar St. to United Nations St. will be closed.
Traffic heading from Katara/Pearl toward the schools should instead take the next right turn, which connects with Al Intisar St., before joining United Nations St., Ashghal said in a statement.
It advised motorists to leave extra time for the diversion. A 50km/hr speed limit will be in effect during the works.
The diversions are to allow for the completion of a road that will link to a flyover on the new, multi-level Al Khaleej Al Garbhi interchange on Lusail Expressway.
Tunnels by Katara Cultural Village began accepting their first vehicles last month, and the new 5.5km route should fully open to traffic by next January.
Education City works
A second set of road works is underway on the western edge of Education City, as work continues to build a new underpass for Dukhan Highway East.
The junction of Al Rayyan Al Jadeed St. and Al Wajba St. is being reconfigured and the old traffic light, known as “Q-Tel signal,” has been moved 100m westwards.
Over the next 10 months, starting today (May 5) and lasting until March 2018, some access will change to Education City and Al Wajba St., Ashghal said.
Traffic heading from Dukhan to Gate 15 of Education City can no longer turn left at the old traffic signal.
Instead, a diversion will take drivers along Al Rayyan Al Jadeed St. to make a U-turn at Al Shafi signal before turning right at the new set of lights.
The new configuration also means that there will be no left turn from Al Rayyan Al Jadeed St. onto Al Wajba St.
Drivers heading west-bound must instead turn left at Al Shafi signal onto Al Shafi Street, then right on to Al Hamd Street before joining with Al Wajba Street.
Speed limits of 50 km/hr will be enforced, Ashghal said.
Al Thumama closure
Meanwhile, a junction on Najma St., between E- and F-Ring Roads, will partially close this weekend. This will be from midnight on May 4 until 5am on Saturday, May 6, Ashghal said.
The Al Hadara intersection will be shut for drivers heading north from F- Ring Road to E-Ring Road, and for those heading south from E-Ring who want to turn left onto Al Hadara St.
Motorists from Al Hadara St. to Al Thumama St. will also be diverted past the new Kahramaa Awareness Park, via E-Ring Road and left onto Al Madeena St.
Those heading in the opposite direction will need to do a U-turn at the junction with F-Ring Road before rejoining Najma St.
Al Shamal Road
The last set of works underway this weekend is on the Al Shamal Road/Expressway. It will affect traffic heading to north Doha areas including Umm Slal Mohammed or Kharaitat.
Al Kheesa interchange, just north of Doha Festival City and Ikea, has been closed for two months. Authorities have advised traffic to use either Umm Slal Mohammed Interchange or Al Kharaitiyat Interchange during the works.
Crews are working in the area on the North Road Corridor Enhancement program. The project involves upgrading Al Shamal Road to reduce congestion and improve connections to northern districts.
Work on the neighboring interchanges are already finished, with Al Kharaitiyat opening ahead of DFC’s launch. Meanwhile, the Umm Slal Mohammed junction reopened to traffic last month.
Will these diversions affect your weekend plans? Thoughts?
