The main tunnel in Onaiza Interchange. Abdul Basit © The Peninsula
Doha: The main tunnel at Onaiza Interchange, which is one of the key three Interchanges on Lusail Expressway, was opened today for traffic. This is Qatar’s first bi-directional tunnel.
The opening was in attendance of Dr Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President of the Public Works Authority, and a number of senior officials from Ministry of Transportation and Communication, Public Works Authority and General Directorate of Traffic in the Ministry of Interior.
The tunnel is located at the traffic lights of the current Onaiza Interchange (Doha Exhibition Centre traffic lights) and it stretches until the signal-controlled intersection in front of the Cultural Village "Katara". The tunnel is 630-metre long and about 1-km long with the access roads leading to it from south and north.
Three out of four lanes in the tunnel are now open, which will provide free flow of traffic for those coming from the Pearl and northern areas towards West Bay in the south, without the need to stop at the traffic light in front of the old exhibition centre. Remaining works on Onaiza Interchange is progressing fast, including the bridge that will connect east of Onaiza Street with the areas it covers, such as the Cultural Village "Katara" and a number of hotels, commercial and residential areas west of Onaiza Street.
Al Muhannadi said that the opening of the main tunnel in Onaiza Interchange will contribute in a positive way in enhancing the traffic flow in the area. While the full positive impact will be felt more after the completion of the whole Lusail Expressway in January 2018, which will reduce the travel time significantly.
He said that many important parts of the project will be opened for public in the coming months. The opening of the main bridge in West Bay Interchange will be held in June. Also two new tunnels will open at The Pearl Interchange next September, prior to the full completion of the project, which also includes more than 6.5-km of pedestrian and cycle paths.
Abdullah bin Hamad al Attiyah, Assistant President of Ashghal, revealed that 80% of the highways in Qatar will open next year.
He pointed out that a number of infrastructure projects in Mashaf and Wakeer will be opened soon, adding that works a part of Hamad Hospital and schools to be built have been completed.
The murals inside the Onaiza Tunnel are inspired by the Qatari pearl diving marine heritage. These patterns, which are derived from the fisherman’s net with its blue colour, suggest that they are ripples of a diver under the water, and at the end of the tunnel the ripples fade away in the horizon. The lighting poles were also chosen to add an aesthetic dimension in line with the overall design.
Lusail Expressway is one of the key projects of the Expressway Programme that the Public Works Authority is implementing. It is located in a vital area that connects Doha with Lusail City, and covers many public destinations such as the Pearl in the north, via Katara and the Diplomatic Area, and a big number of residential areas, hotels, malls and other facilities.
The project work area stretches over 5.5 kilometre from Lusail City in the north to the West Bay area in the south. The project works include three main multi-level interchanges, which are the Pearl Interchange, Onaiza Interchange, and West Bay Interchange, in addition to two marine bridges over the South and North Canal Crossings near the Pearl and Lusail City.
On its completion, the main carriageway of Lusail Expressway will consist of four lanes in each direction, in addition to a big number of feeder service roads to connect the different destinations with the expressway.
The design also focuses on enhancing traffic safety for pedestrians and providing healthy lifestyle, through building 6.5 kilometres of separate pedestrian and cycle paths.
After the completion of the main tunnel, work on the four-level Onaiza Interchange will continue, which includes a main road with four lanes in each direction between West Bay Interchange and the Pearl Interchange. It also includes besides Onaiza Tunnel, a flyover that will connect east of Onaiza Street and the areas it covers such as the Cultural Village “Katara” and residential areas and hotels in the area, with the west of Onaiza Street, which also includes residential areas and a number of embassies and schools.
In June 2017, the flyover in West Bay Interchange will open to traffic, and will carry the traffic coming from Katara to the West Bay without stopping. This will enhance traffic flow in the area and provide a work zone on the ground level of the interchange to continue construction works of West Bay Interchange. This interchange is a three-level interchange that includes the main road on the lower level with three lanes in each direction and connects south of West Bay Interchange with the northern areas. The ground level of the interchange will connect Omar Al Mukhtar Street with University Street in the west and Doha City in the east.
In September 2017, two separate tunnels will open in the Pearl Interchange, to accommodate traffic coming from and to the Pearl and connecting it with the expressway, using the two marine canals in the north and south. This will significantly reduce traffic congestion at the Pearl Interchange.
Other works will continue on the Pearl Interchange, which is a three-level interchange that will provide access to and from the residential areas in Legtaifiya Lagoon, and commercial and public institutes in the area. It will also connect Doha City with Lusail City and northern areas through the two marine bridges that are characterised by their unique design that includes waterfalls on their sides. These are the north Canal Crossing which is 200 metres long and will have six lanes in each direction providing direct access to Lusail City and norther areas. As for the South Canal Crossing, it is 125 metres long and will have eight lanes in each direction between Onaiza Interchange and the Pearl Interchange.
Unique Architectural Character for Lusail Expressway:
The design of Lusail Expressway is an integrated system that provides traffic flow and connects Doha with the West Bay, to enhance access to the important destinations and landmarks that the area covers.
The architectural characteristic of the project is inspired by the old heritage Qatari vocabulary.
It forms a combination of Qatar’s past and future, given that it is the main expressway on the sea front that stretches over the northern coast of Doha City.
Lusail Expressway stretches parallel to the important landmarks and destinations on Doha’s coast, and with its location that includes the most important attractions in the country, it will become a “painting” and a road that is characterised by a unique view inspired by the old Qatari heritage in a contemporary vision.
