Dr Saad bin Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al Mohannadi, President of the Public Works Authority, Ashghal (second right), inaugurating the Al Matar Street pedestrian bridge, as other officials from various entities look on. Pic: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
DOHA: ELAN Group yesterday inaugurated its first pedestrian bridge at Al Matar Street, in the presence of Dr Saad bin Ahmed bin Ibrahim Al Mohannadi, President of the Public Works Authority, Ashghal.
The opening of the new bridge is in line with the nation’s efforts to enhance the safety and security of pedestrians, taking into consideration the rights of all users of the road including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and people with disabilities.
The bridge costs about QR15m, and is 67m long and 4m wide.
Abdul Aziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, Chairman of ELAN Group, and Jaber Abdullah Al Ansari, ELAN Group CEO, as well as representatives from several entities attended the opening.
Al Mohannadi said: “The opening of the pedestrian bridge on Al Matar Street is the first result of the continuous cooperation and coordination between all concerned entities in Qatar, both from the government and private sectors, in order to implement the comprehensive plan to provide a number of pedestrian bridges in different areas of the country. These areas were selected after conducting a study by the MOI, MOTC, and ‘Ashghal’, about the traffic density in these areas, pedestrian traffic accidents and other factors.”
He also noted that the new pedestrian bridge on Al Matar Street will enhance traffic safety in the area and reduce pedestrian accidents in this vital street which is characterised by the presence of a large number of commercial and residential establishments that attract large number of pedestrians.
Al Ansari said: “Today we are proud to inaugurate Al Matar Street pedestrian bridge. We have developed this new bridge as per the global safety and environmental standards, and we are looking forward to deliver more bridges in the near future.”
“The most important thing about the new bridge is that it is financially sustainable in the long-term through the leasing of mini-shops, vending machines and ATMs in addition to offering advertising spaces which will open up a new communication medium for advertisers to reach their target audience,” Al Ansari pointed out.
Regarding the next phase of building more bridges, he said: “Now we are coordinating with authorities concerned like Ashghal and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment to specify the location of the next bridge and the plan to build 15 bridges in 5 years. The average cost of one bridge is QR15m depending on its length.”
The bridge is the fruit of a close collaboration between ELAN Group who developed and designed the bridge, and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Interior, and the Public Works Authority Ashghal.
