Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, opened yesterday the 33km-long Olympic Cycling Track on Al Khor Road as part of National Sport Day activities held by Public Works Authority (Ashghal).
The Cycling Track extends to 33km with a width of seven metres that will enable international sports competitions, especially since the Olympic path is designed to allow speeds up to 50km per hour, notably with the construction of 29 tunnels and five bridges.
Ashghal has provided five car parking areas stretching along the path near Qatar University, Lusail Station, Lusail International Circuit, Semaisma Interchange and Al Bayt Stadium, and the Authority has also installed 1,450 lighting poles dedicated to the vital path to encourage cycling at night. On the other side of Al Khor Road, shared pedestrian and cycle paths are being completed.
Minister of Municipality & Environment, H E Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie; Minister of Culture and Sport, H E Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali; Minister of State, H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Al Kawari; President of the Public Works Authority, Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi; Second Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, and other officials were also present at the opening of Olympic Cycling Track.
The event included the participation of officials and employees from Ashghal, the Qatar Olympic Committee, the Qatar Cycling Federation and Qatar Sports Federation for Special Needs, as well as a more than 500 cyclists.
On the sideline of National Sport Day activities, Ashghal also announced opening two new interchanges; Al Daayen Interchange which was made available for the public from yesterday while the interchange of North Lusail will open on February 14, 2020.
Minister of Municipality & Environment, H E Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie, stressed that Qatar, in the context of its great interest in sport, is adopting infrastructure projects implemented by ‘Ashghal’ to allocate pedestrian and cycle paths to encourage the public to practice sports.
The Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanim Al Ali, said, “I thank Ashghal for this great achievement as opening of a 33km dedicated cycle path provides safety for the cyclists and allow them to avoid the danger of cycling on public roads”.
“Ashghal seeks to achieve sports infrastructure that contributes to changing the lifestyle through the practice of different sports, explaining that Ashghal is scheduled to provide 2,647 km of pedestrian and cycle paths in Qatar by 2022,” said Ashghal President Dr. Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi.
He also explained that Al Khor Road had been almost completed, as it was scheduled to be completed in mid-2020, more than two years before the start of the World Cup, especially as it served Lusail Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium.
Dr. Thani Al Kuwari, Second Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee said, “Qatar is working to provide an infrastructure to serve the sports sector, which enables Qatar to organize all competitions and sports championships, expressing his happiness with the participation of Ashghal in the opening of the first Olympic cycle path simultaneously with the country’s celebrations of the National Sports Day and an affirmation by the Qatar Olympic Committee on the integration of the country’s entities, including Ashghal to achieve a breakthrough in the sports field in general.”
Dr. Mohamed Jaham Al Kuwari, President of the Qatar Cycling Federation, expressed his happiness in participating with Ashghal and Qatar Olympic Committee in the National Sport Day event, pointing that the cycle path that was opened was appropriate for all sports competitions, whether local or international, where its width reaches 7 meters with a length of 33km.
The newly opened interchange is a vital as it is easy to reach Lusail Stadium on one side and Lusail Station on the other side and it serves Lusail North, Rawdhat Al Hamama, Al Kheesa and Wadi Al Banat.
The interchange consists of four bridges, two exit loops, and four exits, along with four underpasses. The interchange will improve traffic in the area, as it provides a free traffic flow to 28,000 vehicles per hour.