A new interchange that makes it easier to get to the soon-to-open Doha Festival City and several other parts of the country has just opened to commuters.

The launch of the Al Kharaitiyat Interchange on Al Shamal Road has also been designed to improve connectivity.

For example, it should shorten travel times between Doha and Lusail, Al Rayyan, Leabib, Bani Hajer and Al Wajba, among other locations, Ashghal said.

The junction has three to four lanes in each direction and eight bridges.

It replaces a single two-lane bridge and quadruples the capacity of the road so that it can now handle up to 16,000 vehicles an hour, according to officials.

In a statement, Expressway Department head Yousef Al Emadi said the interchange “connects with all areas around in the east, west, north and south.”

It is “also a free-flowing junction without road signals or roundabouts making it easier and faster for road users.”

Al Shamal Road enhancements

The interchange is part of the North Road Corridor Enhancement project, which is expected to wrap up this year.

In October, Ashghal marked another milestone in the project with the opening of the multi-level Izghawa intersection.

Providing an alternative to the busy Duhail roundabout, the new junction links Duhail, Lusail City and West Bay Lagoon with districts to the west of the Expressway.

Further north on Al Shamal Road, the Al Huwaila bridge has also opened. This has made it easier for traffic from Ras Laffan Industrial City to head south toward Doha.

At the time, officials said work on the project was already 80 percent done.

Will this new interchange help you with your commute? Thoughts?