The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday opened a key road linking the new Hamad Port with the Truck Route, which falls within the scope of works of the New Orbital Highway project.
The newly opened road, which is approximately 5km in length and has multilevel interchanges with Mesaieed Road, consists of four lanes in each direction. It will facilitate free-flowing traffic to the Truck Route, helping alleviate congestion and better manage heavy vehicle movement, the Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
The road provides new access to Hamad Port, Mesaieed, Al Wakrah and the temporary Truck Route. Also, Ashghal informed through a tweet that the road could accommodate 2,500 trucks daily to and from the new port.
The opening was attended by HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi and Ashghal president Dr Saad bin Ahmed al-Mohannadi, along with a number of senior officials of relevant authorities and institutions.
The attendees were given a presentation and they also paid a field visit to a number of worksites of the New Orbital Highway project to learn about the progress attained so far and the timetable for implementing its various phases.
The Minister of Transport and Communications appreciated the efforts made by Ashghal to open the road, expressing confidence that the authority would complete the next phases of the project with the same quality and in accordance with the specified deadline.
He stressed that the partial opening of the New Orbital Highway project, scheduled to take place in April and July, reflected the magnitude of the achievement made on the project.
On his part, the Minister of Municipality and Environment praised the rapid execution of the road’s construction, pointing out that Ashghal delivered its work by the agreed deadline. He highlighted the importance of the road, especially in terms of providing a “free-flowing traffic” route for heavy vehicles to and from Hamad Port.
The Minister added that the upcoming launch of new roads within the New Orbital Highway project would provide distinct transport services, particularly with respect to traffic safety due to the separation of truck lanes from those dedicated for light vehicles.
Highlighting the importance of the project, Ashghal tweeted that the Orbital Highway would cover 195km from Mesaieed in the south to the west of Al Khor in the north and include 21 interchanges.
“The Orbital Highway cuts travel time by around 50% and enhances the new Hamad Port’s status as a central regional trading hub,” it added.