In the latest effort to expand and improve the amount of green space available for recreation and leisure, construction crews will be closing a portion of Al Rayyan Park tomorrow.

Renovations to Al Busat Al Akhdar Park are expected to last until the end of 2015 and include upgrades to walkways, fences and lighting systems. Additionally, a new jogging track will be constructed to give visitors more athletic options, Qatar’s public works authority, Ashghal, said in a statement this week.

The park’s flat grass surface previously allowed residents to play many sports, including cricket and badminton, according to the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning’s (MMUP) website.

The Al Busat Al Akhdar Park upgrade is the latest project aimed at giving residents more outdoor green space.

Later this month, the park in Al Khor is scheduled to re-open after undergoing a five-year, QR250-million renovation.

When it’s complete, the park will include a building that resembles a cave that houses different animals, reptiles and birds. There will also be horse and camel rides, a waterfall, a pond, museum and a miniature golf course.

Elsewhere, four new parks opened last December to the north and west of Doha, as well as in the Dafna/West Bay area. Additionally, grass and playground equipment was added atop the new underground Souq Waqif parking garage near the Corniche that opened in January.

Meanwhile, residents are still waiting to get their first glimpse at the new Sheraton Park, which is also being constructed above a new underground parking garage. While scheduled to be completed by last December, the Gulf Times reported last month that it won’t open until September at the earliest.

Work is also ongoing on reconstructing one of the oldest and most popular parks in central Doha, Al Rumaila.

Al Rayyan developments

The 32-acre Al Rayyan Park was built in 2006 and sits next to to Al Rayyan Road, a portion of which is being converted into an expressway.

As part of that roadwork project, a new 800-meter diversion was set up today west of Sports Roundabout near the intersection with Jassim Bin Hamad Street.

The diversion, lasting 18 months, will send motorists travelling in either direction onto parallel three-lane roads and is not expected to affect the traffic flow. It follows the temporary closure of Jassim Bin Hamad Street at Al Rayyan Road.

Once complete, the new junction will mean traffic on Al Rayyan Road will be free-flow, from east-to-west, with an underpass below it that would allow traffic coming eastbound on Al Rayyan Road to access Jassim Bin Hamad Street without having to drive to the frequently congested Sports Roundabout.

Thoughts?