The Doha Central and Corniche Street beautification works aim to transition these into pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly areas, instead of relying on vehicular transportation, Public Works Authority (Ashghal) president Dr Saad bin Ahmed al-Muhannadi said.
"This step is in line with the infrastructure and public transportation means in the area such as buses and the Metro,” he said in a statement issued on the occasion of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani's visit to the Doha Central and Al Corniche Development and Beautification Project on Sunday.
"One of the most important goals behind this project is to preserve the Qatari identity despite the rapid urban growth, in addition to integrating the internal pedestrians paths with each other while also linking them externally with the surrounding areas to create new destinations and restore historic areas," he said.

Sara Kafood, vice-president of the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads & Public Places in Qatar, said Doha Central and Al Corniche are among the most important "touristic and vital" landmarks in the country. Therefore, the committee provided special attention to their development in a way that reflected in their cultural and touristic importance.
The committee has been keen to decorate the waterfront with palm frond-shaped lighting poles that are reflective of the Qatari cultural heritage, and create pedestrian underpasses and plazas to facilitate the movement of people between Al Corniche and areas connected to the underpasses. These are in addition to providing an aesthetic touch to these underpasses and plazas by installing sculptures and artworks of various Qatari and resident artists, she noted.
The project also involves building cafes overlooking the waterfront in order to create a unique experience for people.
"To promote healthy lifestyles and encourage people to exercise, pedestrian and cycling paths have been provided that are connected to the three plazas to provide a healthy and safe outlet for visitors. The infrastructure and pedestrian and cycling paths have been developed and upgraded in addition to increasing green spaces and planting trees. The streets have been paved with natural stone to reflect the archeological nature and the historic depth of the area," she added.
Hassan Abdulla al-Ghanim, head of the External Highways Section at Ashghal, said the Doha Central and Al Corniche Development and Beautification Project aim to encourage a healthy lifestyle, improve the quality of life and create attractive and vital places.
"Therefore, we have been keen, as much as possible, to accelerate the pace of work on the project. We have faced many challenges during the implementation especially as the project is located in the middle of a vital and congested area, and the Corniche development project is located directly next to the sea, which leads to heavy water flow when carrying out deep excavation works."
Abdulla Nasser al-Nuaimi, manager of the Doha Central Development and Beautification Project – 1st Package - at Ashghal, said the team faced challenges such as the absence of existing infrastructure records in the Doha Central or outdated records as the area is an old one; the high level of groundwater, which required the continuous operation of a large number of intake pumps and the injection of soil with special materials to support it; the poor nature of the soil, which hindered the rapid progress of underground excavation machines; the project being located in an old, crowded and populated area; ensuring the safety of visitors and taking into account the need to provide entrances to shop owners, factors that slowed the process and also made the movement of heavy tools in the area more difficult; in addition to adhering to the specific working hours for the staff and the constant change in drawings according to the construction situation on site.
Despite the challenges, the project was completed in two years instead of four, according to Ashghal.
"Infrastructure works included the implementation of a rainwater drainage network of 12km, widening the size of the water tank to 12,750sqm, implementation of electricity, water, irritation, drainage and communications networks of 23.9km, installation of 48 poles for security cameras, and repaving the entire asphalt along Al Corniche Street," he observed.
Ali al-Darwish, head of the Doha Highways Section, Highways Projects Department at Ashghal, said: "The Doha Central and Al Corniche areas are among the key landmarks in the country. The works in the area included the development and upgrade of all facilities and infrastructure such as the drainage and rainwater networks, developing the electricity and water networks, replacing the asphalt layer of the road with a granite layer to increase its shelf life and reduce maintenance work to enhance pedestrian safety in the area, transforming the streets into plazas for pedestrians during celebrations and major events, and providing an aesthetic environment in the city centre and Al Corniche."