The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday said about 75% of the ongoing Doha Corniche renovation project has already been completed. The work covers converting roundabouts on Corniche Street and surrounding areas to signal-controlled intersections to enhance traffic flow to and from West Bay and between the north and south of Doha. The roundabouts being turned into intersections are Museum of Islamic Art, Emiri Diwan, Qatar National Theatre, Wadi al-Sail, Qatar Post, Onaizah, Lejbailat and Oryx, in addition to the Grand Hamad Street junction, considering that Mina Roundabout was completed earlier All traffic signals at the above-mentioned intersections will be installed in two weeks and open to traffic on project completion. The work carried out by Ashghal on Corniche Street and surrounding roads also includes the protection and upgrade of utility services in the project area and the establishment of infrastructure for the traffic control system along the Corniche. This represents between 35% and 40% of the combined volume of work and cost of the project. The volume of what has been excavated from the area is nearly 70,000 cubic metres through the use of about 200 heavy machines and 1,500 workers at all project sites. The roundabouts are being replaced with intersections controlled by the Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS). These systems react to the volume of traffic by creating a so-called “green wave” - maximising the number of green lights ahead of heavy traffic and ensuring smoother traffic flow and less congestion. The authorities feel that traffic will flow much smoother to and from the Corniche area than before, thereby reducing journey time, increasing safety and removing the need to slow down and stop at every intersection as was the case with roundabouts. Work on the Corniche project, which costs between QR150mn and QR200mn, started in July to make use of the quiet summer period. “Ashghal is determined to finishing the vital project in the shortest possible time, which is why we have contracted the work to three different companies on the project to work round the clock and meet high standards,” an Ashghal official said. http://www.gulf-times.com/qatar/178/details/366753/%E2%80%9875%25-of-corniche-road-work-over%E2%80%99

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