Qatar's Public Works Authority (Ashgal) has started work on the Al Wakrah parallel road extension project which will see the laying of a 11-km stretch from Al Mashaf to the Mesaieed area of Qatar at a cost of QR2.18 billion ($577 million).

The project, which involves the extension of the road with five lanes on both sides, is expected to be completed by 2017, reported The Peninsula.

The project will also include pedestrian crossing, bridge and separate lanes for motorbikes and pedestrians in addition to a tunnel, it added.