First phase of Al Rayyan Road Upgrade project opens

Traffic congestion on Al Qalaa Street and in commercial areas of Al Shafi Street in Al Rayyan will be drastically reduced with the opening of an all new improved stretch of Al Rayyan Road yesterday.
The first phase of Al Rayyan Road Upgrade project, which is expected to cut travel time by up to 30 percent, was opened to traffic yesterday, two months ahead of the scheduled date. The project is worth QR 1.2bn.
The first phase of Al Rayyan Road Upgrade project extends for approximately 2.9km from west of Khalid bin Abdullah Al Attiyah Roundabout (New Al Rayyan Roundabout) to east of Bani Hajer Roundabout. It includes the construction of four lanes in each direction separated by a median, around 2km of side roads, and around 5.8km of service roads.
The project also includes the construction of three interchanges, namely the interchange between Al Shafi Street and Al Rayyan Road, and interchange between Al Qalaa Street and Al Rayyan Road. Those interchanges include two underpasses that provide a continuous traffic movement along Al Rayyan Road.

Project includes construction of pedestrian and cycle lanes

It also includes traffic signals on the ground level to facilitate the flow of vehicles to and from Al Rayyan Road from the surrounding areas, especially the residential areas on Al Qalaa Street and the commercial areas on Al Shafi Street, which will reduce the congestion in internal roads and reduce dependence on them.
The interchange between Al Rayyan Road and Al Wajba Street, which is a signalised intersection, is also being developed as part of the project and will be completed soon. The project also includes the construction of pedestrian and cyclist paths.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications, HE Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Minister of Municipality and Environment, Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmed Al Muhannadi, President of Ashghal, and a number of senior officials. Details about the project were given by officials of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) in a ceremony held at the headquarters of Al Rayaan Municipality yesterday.
Ministers and attendees were briefed through a presentation on the project’s implementation phases, in addition to having a visit to the project site, particularly to the underpasses of Al Qalaa and Al Shafi interchanges which were opened to traffic yesterday.
“The road is completed with all standards, even with regards to infrastructure,” said Al Sulaiti.
“It includes dedicated tunnels to avoid the need to disrupt the road in order to implement maintenance works as in the previous roads. The road is modern and will bring a smooth traffic flow until completion of the remaining part. Works are continuing at a faster pace to finish the rest of the project phases.”
The rest of the project will be completed during the coming months. Once completed, the roads will provide a smooth traffic movement from Doha to Dukhan, serving public and supporting commercial services in the area. The full positive impact will clearly appear after completion of the main Al Rayyan – Dukhan Corridor in 2018, after which more than half the travel time will be shortened.
Al Rayyan – Dukhan Corridor is a vital artery with many advantages that will serve all areas along the road, from Doha to Dukhan, through Al Rayyan, Al Wajba, Al Sheehaniya, and the entire Western and Northern areas.
“Accelerating the implementation will contribute to enhancing the traffic movement and satisfying the ambition of residents as there are complaints about the amounts of traffic congestion, and with some projects causing disruption of some streets. Today’s opening is a evidence that projects are being delivered according to the scheduled dates, with some projects opening even before their deadlines,” said Al Rumaihi.
“The part which opened today will help reduce traffic congestion in the surrounding areas like Al Rayyan, Muaither, Al Shafi, and Bani Hajar, especially in Al Rayyan Municipality which is one of the largest municipalities in Qatar in terms of population.”
The project included a broader scope of infrastructure works that included construction of service tunnels, around 5 km of storm water drainage networks, treated sewage effluent (TSE) and sewage networks, and installation of street lighting poles.
Over 187,400 cubic metres of concrete were used in the project, in addition to 21,000 ton of reinforcement steel and 100,000 ton of asphalt. The project was implemented by the joint venture of “Boom Contruction” and “Six Construct”.