* Opening coincides with start of new academic year
* Intersection serves many schools, residential complexes, Metro stations, etc
* It connects Al Waab, Fereej Al Soudan, Al Sadd and Al Rayyan areas
Coinciding with the start of the new school year, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the opening of the traffic signal at Al Waab Interchange as part of the Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor project works.
Work is under way to complete the rest of the bridging works at the vital interchange after converting it from a traffic signal to an intersection with three levels to improve traffic movement in the area, Ashghal said in a statement on Monday.
The opening will enhance traffic movement in all directions, especially on Al Waab Street and Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor, as the old intersection has been expanded from five lanes to six lanes, in addition to providing right turns, to accommodate about 10,000 vehicles per hour.
The intersection will facilitate traffic movement to many important roads such as Doha Expressway, Salwa Road and Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor. It will also facilitate traffic flow to the Al Waab, Fereej Al Soudan, Al Sadd and Mehairja areas to reach Al Rayyan and Muaither, where many schools, other educational institutions and health facilities are located in addition to residential complexes and malls.
The interchange will also facilitate access to a number of sports facilities such as Khalifa International Stadium, Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (Al Sadd), Ali Bn Hamad Al Attiyah Arena and Aspire Zone, as well as the Doha Metro stations for the nearby Gold line, such as Al Sudan and Al Waab.
Ashghal is currently working on completing the entire interchange and opening its other parts soon. The interchange consists of three levels of traffic signals on Al Waab Street and three bridges, including the main bridge linking incoming traffic on Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor between Al Rayyan and Al Waab. This is the longest bridge in Qatar with a length of 2.6km.
The interchange also includes a bridge that connects traffic on Al Waab Street coming from Al Sadd and Doha Expressway towards Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor to Salwa Road, in addition to another bridge linking traffic coming from Muaither and Al Aziziya to Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor in the direction of Al Rayyan.
On this occasion, Mohamed Sami from the Highway Projects Department stressed that the opening of the traffic signal at Al Waab Interchange coincides with the start of the new academic year to facilitate traffic movement in front of the surrounding schools, noting that the rest of the interchange will open this year. He explained that the new interchange will facilitate Doha Metro users' access to the Gold line, especially the stations of Al Sudan and Al Waab, and the opening which coincides with the resumption of Metro operations today.
Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor will extend for approximately 25km from Hamad International Airport to Umm Lekhba Interchange (known as Landmark Interchange) on Doha Expressway. In addition, Ashghal will enhance 12km of local and peripheral roads intersecting with the corridor. The total road works of the project is approximately 37km.
Once completed in 2021, Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor will significantly contribute to reducing traffic congestion on Doha Expressway.
