Qatar commuters are nearing the home stretch when it comes to enduring C-Ring Road works, with the fourth and final phase set to start “soon” and be completed by the summer.

Yesterday, the country’s public works authority announced the completion of the third phase of reconstruction – the busy route around the Holiday Villa complex.

For the past several months, Ashghal has been overhauling some 6.3km of one of Doha’s most congested routes, from Al Kinana Street near the Pediatric Emergency Center in Al Sadd to Umm Ghuwailina by the old airport’s VIP terminal, in a bid to increase capacity and improve traffic flow.

The works, which began last May, have been conducted in stages, and are on track to be be finished by the end of the second quarter of this year, an Ashghal spokesperson told Doha News.

Phase three construction started on Jan. 1, and finished at the beginning of this week. It tackled the stretch of road from the mid-point between Rawdat Al Khail and New Slata intersections to midway between Rawdat Al Khail and Al Mansoura intersections.

Work was also conducted on adjoining side streets and service roads. On Rawdat Al Khail St., this extended from the front of Al Shefa Polyclinic to the front of the Dispute Resolution Commission.

The overall road design was reconfigured and widened to create four lanes in each direction instead of three. Teams of hundreds of workers operated seven days a week to enable the construction to be finished on time, according to a statement from Ashghal.

Residents reported that the works have improved traffic flow in the area.

@LesleyWalker17 @dohanews yes! 100 times better. They just need to paint the lane markings. It's a free for all otherwise!

— Pip in Doha (@ExpatPip) March 17, 2015

@LesleyWalker17 Yes! Traffic is much smoother now. It used to take us up to 20 minutes at the signal.

— Nancy Fancy (@nancyfa89718671) March 17, 2015

While there is no confirmed timeline for the start of works to the final section of roadworks in Al Mansoura, an Ashghal spokesperson told Doha News this it would commence “soon,” pending approvals from the Traffic Department.

Stages of works

All the work done to date has been completed on time. However, the phases have not been carried out in sequence, so the last section is described in Ashghal’s plan as “Phase Two.”

The scope of the overall project includes:

• Widening the road from three to four lanes;
• Establishing pedestrian crossings at all four intersections under construction;
• Installing three U-turn lanes with pedestrian crossings in the 6.3km stretch (not specified where);
• Construction of permanent roads with new traffic signals and street lighting; and
• Upgrading irrigation pipes in the area.

The first phase focused on improving the most northern parts of C-Ring road — from Umm Ghuwailina (VIP Roundabout) to halfway between Toyota and Gulf Cinema signals. At that time, VIP R/A was replaced with a signal-controlled intersection.

That work finished by mid-September last year, around one month after phase four construction began, which tackled the Jabur Bin Ahmed intersection around the Radisson Blu hotel.

For more than four months, the roads in this area were reconfigured, adding an additional lane and pedestrian signals as well as replacing the roundabout in front of the Center with a signalized intersection.

At the time of the works, some businesses on C-Ring reported a dip in sales as construction barriers, fewer parking spaces and narrower pedestrian passages made it more difficult for customers to easily access the stores.

The C-Ring Road project is part of Ashghal’s ambitious Expressways Program, in which roads across the country are being upgraded “to create a long-term, sustainable road network that links all areas across Qatar.”

Have you noticed any improvement to traffic since the works began? Thoughts?