Doha Expressway – Qatar

Urban Highway

As part of its strategic plan to modernize Qatar’s ground transportation network, the government of Qatar—through its Public Works Authority (PWA)—planned to create uninterrupted, high-speed east-west and north-south expressway corridors throughout and around the capital city of Doha. These corridors are collectively referred to as the Doha Expressway.

After Parsons successfully completed an initial concept study in 2003 for 50 km (31 mi) of expressways that included 19 grade-separated interchanges, PWA expanded our scope in 2004 to 90 km (56 miles) with 39 interchanges to serve future development and population growth. Working with the PWA, we considered many factors in developing the final alignment for the upgraded expressway, including but not limited to cost, traffic flow, existing right-of-way, land acquisition, utility relocation, and overall plans for the future transportation network. The function and final alignment of the new expressways meet the basic existing and future needs for the Greater Doha area by providing:

• Virtually continuous and uninterrupted traffic flow from Mesaieed to Al Shamal through the Greater Doha area
• Fast and convenient access from the new Doha International Airport on Ras Abu Abboud to Greater Doha and beyond
• Links to other primary roads and convenient access to secondary road network
• Ability to handle high traffic volumes for relatively long, uninterrupted distances at high speeds with controlled access at designated interchanges
• Sufficient capacity for the citizens and residents of Qatar as well as tourists visiting Qatar for events such as world sports championships

The challenge of integrating the new expressway within this established and growing city extended well beyond improving the traffic conditions. Because the project primarily upgraded existing urban arterials, we worked hand and hand with the PWA and other stakeholders in Qatar to develop safe and efficient facilities that minimize negative impacts on surrounding communities.

Parsons resolved challenging design issues to develop the highest capacity interchange configurations within the constraints of the narrow right-of-way without compromising the facility’s safety. The new safe, efficient, and modern expressway saves motorists travel time and, in turn, reduces air pollution in the growing capital city. Our innovative interchange configurations and overall approach to complex technical issues earned us the International Road Federation’s prestigious 2004 Global Road Achievement Award in the design category.

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