Ashghal officials with guests during the tour of the new bridge at Landmark Interchange yesterday.
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced to open the first 820 meter flyover bridge at Umm Lekhba (Landmark) Interchange as part of Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor project on Saturday (November 2) providing a free flow traffic from Al Gharrafa towards Doha and a parallel route to 22 February Street.
The announcement was made by Ashghal officials during a media tour to the construction site of the project. “The new flyover bridge will connect traffic from the new Al Hateem Street to Al Gharrafa in the direction of Doha with 22 February Street and Al Gharrafa Interchange (Passport Interchange) which will reduce travel time,” Eng. Mashael Jolo from Ashghal in her presentation on the project.
She said that the flyover will improve traffic in the area. “The bridge will accommodate around 1,500 vehicles per hour to serve those coming from Izghawa and Al Gharrafa areas towards Doha without the need to use Al Shamal Road and avoid the current construction works in the area,” said Jolo. She said that the flyover will also offer an alternative route for road users coming from the commercial facilities in the area to access 22 February Street directly.
A number of officials paid a visit to follow the latest developments of Umm Lekhba Interchange and the new flyover bridge, including Eng. Yousef Abdulrahman Al Emadi, Projects Affairs Director at Ashghal, Lieutenant Eng Saoud Abdullah Al Hamad, from Traffic Engineering and Safety Department, Mr. Mubarak Ferish Mubarak Al Salem Central Municipal Council (CMC) member, and Bader Darwish, Highway Project Department Manager.
Eng. Mashael Jolo said that 75 percent of the Umm Lekhba interchange development with a total of nine bridges, known as Landmark Interchange, has been completed. She pointing out that the construction of this huge and vital interchange is underway around the clock to complete it. It is scheduled to open a second bridge by the end of 2019 followed by other openings until 2020.
“Once completed in the last quarter of 2020, the new interchange will significantly improve traffic to shorten the journey time by more than 70 percent,” said Jolo. She said that the bridges of the interchange will have nine arteries which will provide a free traffic flow in nine directions in addition to the free traffic on Al Shamal road as well as the underpass of the old interchange linking Al Markhiya Street and Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor.
