When completed towards the end of next year (2019), Al Khor Expressway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour against the present 4,000 per hour on the North Road between Al Khor and Doha.
While informing this on Sunday, senior Ashghal officials said the new 33-km expressway would feature five lanes in either direction between Al Khor and near the Qatar University Street. This is apart from the two emergency lanes which the new highway is expected to have on its completion.
When complete, Al Khor Expressway would have multi-level interchanges, six of which will provide free flow connectivity with major roads such as the Orbital Highway, Al Tarfa Road and Simaisma Road as well as facilitating access to Al Shamal Road and Lusail Expressway.
In all the Expressway would feature 10 bridges, 22 tunnels and underpass as well as a 'camel bridge' linking the small and the large Lusail protected areas will also be delivered. The expected journey time between Al Khor and Doha would be 18 to 20 minutes, according to Ashghal authorities.
One of the highlights of the Expressway would be its median, which would feature the Doha Metro's Red line between Al Khor and Lusail. The new stations will be built at Al Khor and Lusail. A world-class 34-km cycle path, capable of hosting globally acclaimed events would also be completed alongside the expressway. The work of the cycle path is already on. Not over, there would be 42 pedestrian and cyclists' underpasses. The work on the project began in November 2016.
When fully commissioned, Al Khor Expressway would cater to 15 residential areas throughout its stretch from Doha to Al Khor including Simaisma, Umm Garn, Tinbak, Wadi Al Banat, Rawdat Al Hamama, Lusail, the Pearl, Legtaifiya and Al Tarfa Road.
Al Khor Expressway will also provide FIFA 2022 World Cup fans with easy access to two of the stadiums, namely Lusail Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. The access will also be easier to Al Rayyan Stadium through the Orbital Road and Truck Route as well as several sports facilities such as Al Khor and Simaisma’s Youth Centres, Al Khor Sport Club, Lusail Sport Complex and Doha Gulf Club.
The new Expressway would also serve a number of business districts such as Lusail, the Pearl and West Bay along with facilitating access to Al Dayen Services Complex and many hotels in the surrounding areas. Several leisure facilities will be accessible via Al Khor Expressway including Katara, Simaisma Beach, Al Farkiya Beach, and Al Dayen Celebration Halls.
Further to connecting major cities and areas, the project would also link many educational institutions such as Qatar University, Community College of Qatar, College of the North Atlantic-Qatar, Qatar Leadership Academy and Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
Speaking yesterday at the construction site of the new interchange near Lusail, Central Municipal Council member (of Constituency 18) Meshal al-Nuaimi thanked Ashghal president Saad bin Ahmad al-Muhannadi and the project’s team.
The opening of the interchanges is key to ease access to areas, especially the partial opening of the interchange that connects Orbital Road from Rawdat Al Hamama to Lusail. This is expected which reduces future traffic on Al Shamal Road.
Al Khor and Al Thakhira Municipality director Mohamed Saleh al-Attan said the opening of three bridges yesterday as part of Al Khor Expressway would reduce travel time for those coming from Al Shamal to the coastal areas such as Simaisma, Lusail and others. He added that the project would provide free traffic flow once completed.
Al Dayen Municipality director Rashid Mashlash al-Khayarin said Al Khor Expressway is one of the mega projects that would meet the needs and requirements of the areas between Al Khor and Doha. The road will facilitate better traffic between the two places, he added.