Olympic Intersection, popularly known as Sports Roundabout, is now partially open for traffic as the phase 1 work is completed in record time by Ashghal.
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) officially opened today the phase I of the project to convert the Olympic Roundabout to a signal-controlled intersection.
Phase I includes opening three lanes in each direction at the intersection, in addition to installing traffic signals, a drainage network, and renewing deteriorating utilities’ pipes.
Ashghal removed the roundabout’s residues in one week, which normally takes about a month of work.
The second phase of the project, to be completed by October 2017, will include opening a traffic signal that provides three lanes to turn left, in addition to a lane for U-turn.
The Phase I of the project will provide the same level of traffic flow that the roundabout used to provide, but after the completion of Phase 2, the traffic flow will be much better.
Converting Olympic Roundabout to a signal-controlled intersection is part of Phase 3 of Developing Al Rayyan Street. The project includes developing and widening three intersections, which are Olympic Intersection, Al Shura Council Intersection, and Ahmad bin Ali Intersection, also known as Bin Omran Intersection.
This is in addition to developing Al Rayyan Street, so all mentioned intersections have four lanes in each direction, in addition to the service roads. The full project is scheduled to be completed in August 2018.
Because of the location of the roundabout, the project needed to be done over two phases, and opening of Phase I was necessary to enable Ashghal to work on Phase 2.
Ashghal noted that travelers heading to Madinat Khalifa and Bin Omran through Messila Tunnel on Al Rayyan Road, should not use Al Rayyan Bridge and use Al Rayyan Roundabout instead, without the need to go through Olympic Intersection.
