The New Year will signal the start of a new phase of construction on C-Ring Road, as work will begin taking place around the Rawdat Al Khail intersection from Jan. 1, Ashghal has announced.

The move is part of an ongoing overhaul of a 6.3km stretch of the busy artery to improve capacity and reduce congestion.

The affected area is around the Holiday Villa complex and runs from the middle point between Rawdat Al Khail and New Slata intersections to midway between Rawdat Al Khail and Al Mansoura intersections.

On Rawdat Al Khail Street, it extends from the front of Al Shefa Polyclinic to the front of the Dispute Resolution Commission.

Under Phase 3 of the C-Ring Road Project, the road will be widened from three lanes to four, “increasing its capacity so to accommodate current and future traffic and improving its overall design,” the public works authority said in a statement.

During the next two and a half months, one lane will be closed in each direction to minimize traffic disruption. The works are scheduled to be finished by mid-March.

Coinciding with the return to town of many residents after the winter break, and with the re-start of classes for international schools, the news will no doubt cause some headaches for drivers commuting through the area.

End of Phase 4

However, to mitigate the blow, an Ashghal spokesman told Doha News that Phase 4 of the project – the work around the Ramada intersection – is expected to be completed on schedule, by Jan. 1.

Work at this very busy junction has been taking place over the past four and a half months.

It has included installing new pedestrian crossings at the traffic signals, creating an additional road lane and the repaving the existing three lanes.

The feeder lanes to C-Ring Road have also been overhauled, including Ali Bin Taleb Road and the Salwa Road extension. Meanwhile, the roundabout in front of The Center and the under-construction Westin Hotel is being converted into a signalized intersection.

Traffic barriers, cones and construction machinery could still be seen at the area earlier today, as workers attempted to meet their impending deadline.

C-Ring Road project

Work began on the reconstruction of C-Ring Road in May this year and will be conducted in four phases. Ashghal has said the whole project should be complete by mid-2015.

The works done to date has been on schedule, though the phases have not been tackled in order.

The scope of the 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, with VIP R/A replaced with a signal-controlled intersection. It was finished by mid-September, about a month after phase 4 works began.

As yet, Ashghal has not given a date for when Phase 2, the final stage of construction in Al Mansoura, will take place.

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.”

Expressways upgrade

According to Ashghal’s annual report, there are 11 Expressway projects already underway, with plans for a further 14 to start during 2015, as the country works to overhaul its infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population and prepare for the 2022 World Cup.

These will include:

• Al Bustan Street, which runs north-south from Al Waab to Gharaffa (complete first half 2019);
• Al Jamiaa Street, from Qatar University, heading south (first half 2018);
• Al Markhiya Street, which runs from Al Gharafa, past Landmark Mall and into West Bay (second half 2018);
• Al Furousiya Street, which runs on the Western side of Aspire Park to connect with Al Rayyan Road (second half 2019); and
• Al Gharafa and Al Khafji Streets (first half 2019).

Thoughts?