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The Public Works Authority opened on Saturday the main tunnel in Onaiza Interchange, which is one of the key three Interchanges on Lusail Expressway.

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 meters long and about 1 kilometer long with the access roads leading to it from south and north.

Three out of four lanes are now open in the tunnel, which will provide free flow 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 center. Remaining works on Onaiza Interchange will be completed, 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.

Eng. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, President of the Public Works Authority, 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 the coming months will witness the opening of important parts of the project. Next June will witness the opening of the main bridge in West Bay Interchange. Also two new tunnels will open in The Pearl Interchange next September, prior to the full completion of the project, which also includes more than 6.5 kilometers of pedestrians and cyclists paths.

For his part, Abdullah bin Hamad al Attiyah, Assistant President of Ashghal, revealed that the next year will see the opening of 80% of the highways in Qatar with the launch of other projects for implementation. 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.

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 kilometers 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.

Upon 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 kilometers of separate pedestrians and cyclists paths. 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.