The proposed road change, which will occur approximately 25km west of Doha, has been designed in co-ordination with the General Directorate of Traffic. It will be implemented in the coming few days, with an expected operation period of 12 months, Ashghal has said in a press statement.
The road change is essential to expedite construction of the New Orbital Highway, a 195km-long expressway that will reduce the current travel time between Mesaieed and Al Khor by over one hour.
As shown on the attached map, the change will modify the existing interchange into a signal-controlled roundabout. Road users will still be able to travel in all directions between Doha, Lusail, Mesaieed and Abu Samra by taking their respective roundabout exit.
Ashghal has said it will not reduce the existing four-lane layout in each direction on Salwa Road, but the signalised roundabout will only provide three lanes before returning to the normal four-lane layout. To ensure the safety of road users, the speed limit on Salwa Road will be gradually reduced from 120kph to 50kph until traffic reaches the signalised roundabout.
The authority expects that the new roundabout layout will only impact trucks travelling on the Temporary Truck Route. The road change is not expected to affect typical traffic flow in the area or create significant congestion on other sections of Salwa Road, according to the statement.
Ashghal will also implement several measures to reduce the impact of the road change on truck drivers, including providing an alternative free-flow route from Salwa Road Interchange No 17 to the Doha West Sewage Treatment Plant and Temporary Truck Route (see map). The route will be available to truck drivers to avoid the buildup of traffic congestion at the signalised roundabout.
Road signage will be installed in Arabic, English and Urdu to provide early notice of the road change, and the traffic police will be on hand in the first 24 hours of the diversion to provide direction and support to truck drivers and any other road users.
Ashghal has requested all road users to abide by the speed limit, which has been reduced from 120kph to 50kph on some sections of Salwa Road, and follow newly implemented traffic road signs to ensure their safety.
The New Orbital Highway and Truck Route project is located to the north, west and south of Doha city and includes a total of around 195km of roads, starting from Mesaieed in the south to the west of Al Khor city in the north. The project also includes the construction of 21 main interchanges, including tunnels and flyovers, connecting the Orbital with highways and main roads such as the East West Corridor, Salwa Road, Dukhan Highway and Al Shamal Road.
On Monday, a link road between Hamad Port and the Truck Route was opened as part of the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route project. The road, whose opening marked the first milestone of the project, is over 5km long and will facilitate free-flowing traffic movement in all directions without traffic signals or roundabouts up to the Truck Route.
Taking place in April, the next round of partial opening will involve Mesaieed Road and the Orbital Highway phase extending from the East West Corridor to Dukhan Highway through Salwa Road, Ashghal has said.
Then, a number of roads will be partially opened to traffic in July. These are the Orbital Highway phase extending from Dukhan Highway to Al Gharafa Road, the phase located between Mesaieed Road and the East West Corridor, the road linking the northern entrance of Hamad Port and the Industrial Area, the road linking Dukhan Highway and Al Mazrouah Road, and the phase extending from Dukhan Highway to the West of Al Shamal Road, near Al Khor city.
The proposed road change, which will occur approximately 25km west of Doha, has been designed in co-ordination with the General Directorate of Traffic.
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced that it will convert Salwa Road Interchange No 24 into a signalised roundabout to enable the construction of a free-flowing, multi-level junction as part of the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route project.
