Qatar’s public works authority Ashghal has announced more road closures in the Najma as work continues to upgrade the old sewage network in the area.

The closures take effect on Monday, July 20 for eight weeks and will be in two parts.

The first part includes a short, 113m stretch of Najma St. where it meets Ibn Shuaib St. until the junction of Hamza bin Malik St., which will be shut in both directions until Sept. 11, the public works authority said.

Nearby Sikkat Al Ibreez St. and Maslama bin Ahmed St. off off Ibn Shuaib St. will also be closed until the fall.

Motorists coming from Mansoura St. can use the two-way Hamza bin Malik St. to access Nawfal Bin Al Harith St., which is also a two-way street, and then continue onto one-way Ibn Shuaib St., Ashghal said in a statement.

The second part of the closures affect a 110m stretch of Najma Street, from where it meets Hamza bin Malik St. to the intersection with Al Mansoura Street.  The lane heading toward Al Mansoura St. will be closed, but one lane will be open for traffic heading south from Al Mansoura St.

Diversions will be in place, re-routing down Hamza Bin Malik St. to reach Nawfal Bin Al Harith St., where both directions will remain open to traffic.

Drainage overhaul

Najma has seen several road closures this summer as contractors work to replace and upgrade the aging sewer network and infrastructure.

Last month, Ashghal announced temporary closures to part of Al Khalidya Street and adjacent back roads as works got underway, while there have also been road closures to widen streets and help relieve traffic congestion in the busy area.

Plans for a significant overhaul of the sewer system were announced last July, when Ashghal said it would replace 20km of pipeline, 500 sewer manholes and 1,000 house and commercial connections by the end of this year.

Residents in the area and in neighboring older districts of town have long complained that drains get backed up and officials at the authority admitted the old network was struggling to cope with the increased demand as the population has grown in recent years.

Old pipelines will be replaced with ones with larger diameters to handle sewage disposed by close to a million inhabitants in southern Doha, Ashghal said.

Once completed, the new drainage system will feature efficient, environmentally friendly pump stations with fewer emissions. The infrastructure is expected to last the area some 50 years.

Are you affected by the road closures? Thoughts?