Qatar's Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said work was progressing well on the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route project, with two main lanes set to open for traffic by the end of 2017.

The project is located to the west, north and south of Doha, and will see the construction of around 200 km of new dual carriageway stretching from Mesaieed in the south to west of Al Khor in the north.

The Orbital road will feature 22 main interchanges, including bridges and underpasses, that will connect it to the main roads and expressways of the East-West Corridor Project, Salwa Road, Dukhan Highway, and Al Shamal Road, said a statement from Ashghal.   

When complete, the Orbital will provide a swift and efficient highway that will offer better connectivity for Qatar's most important industrial areas, namely Mesaieed, New Hamad Port, Dukhan, Al Khor, and Ras Laffan, eliminating the need to travel through the main residential communities of Al Wakra, Doha, and Al Khor, it stated.

The project is considered to be a vital addition to the road network of Qatar as it will form a free-flowing traffic route connecting the south of Qatar to its north.

Recently, Minister of Municipality and Environment (MME) Mohamed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi visited the construction site of Contract Two and Contract Four of the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route.

Consisting of seven lanes in each direction, the new highway and truck route provides heavy vehicles with their own separate roadway with two truck lanes in each direction, allowing traffic to flow freely and safely along main expressways.

The Orbital will become nationally significant in the movement of people and good around the country. It is designed to manage up to 1,500 heavy goods vehicles (HGV) per hour in each direction; it can cater for general traffic volumes at approximately 8,000 vehicles per hour in each direction.

Major infrastructure improvements will be implemented as part of the project, including a storm water drainage network, treated sewage effluent networks for irrigation, communications networks, street lighting, and ITS (intelligent transportation systems), said Ashghal.

Allowance for the future long-distance rail and freight rail lines has been also accommodated, it stated.

The project will also provide services infrastructure including underpasses for camels, weighing stations, side road parking bays, green landscaping and metal beam guardrails along the road.-TradeArabia News Service