Work in progress at Ali bin Abi Talib Street.
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) said yesterday that it has taken several measures to address the heavy traffic being experienced on Ali bin Abi Talib street in New Slata since the reopening of schools on Sunday.
Responding to complaints about traffic jams in the area, Ashghal said that it was due to the implementation of traffic diversions as part of Ali bin Abi Talib Street Development project in the area.
“Several measures were taken yesterday (Sunday) and this morning (Monday) to ensure easy traffic flow in the area,” said a statement yesterday.
The measures included opening Al Maahed Roundabout completely for traffic after it was closed on Sunday as part of the project works; removal of artificial speed humps on currently open lanes on Ali bin Abi Talib Street; and recalibration of traffic signals at Al Rawabi and Khalifa Al Attiya Intersections to enhance traffic flow on Ali bin Abi Talib Street.
Maintenance works took place yesterday on currently open lanes on Ali bin Abi Talib Street.
Ashghal team has met with officials of schools in the area to get their suggestions to ensure easy and safe access for students and parents to schools, and is keeping them updated regarding the project. This is in addition to having an Ashghal engineer on site to respond to questions and remarks of the residents and visitors of the area.
Ashghal started works on phase one of Ali bin Abi Talib, Al Qafila and Al Maahed streets development project on January 26, one week before commencement of the main works, which was announced through the local newspapers, social media and Ashghal’s website.
A month- and- a-half long study preceded works commencement, during which cameras were installed in the project area to measure traffic flow.
Based on this information, traffic diversions were designed to ensure minimum impact on traffic, and was reviewed and approved by the General Directorate of Traffic at the Ministry of Interior.
The plan included diverting traffic on Ali bin Abi Talib Street to the service road and keeping two lanes open in each direction during the project period, which is the same original number of lanes that was open to traffic before works started. All schools entrances in the area remained open.
“It was necessary to start working on this project quickly and without delay given the traffic congestion this area witnesses. When completed, this project will enhance traffic flow greatly by increasing the number of lanes on Ali bin Abi Talib and Al Qafila streets, increasing the road capacity by 30%, in addition to converting Al Qafila and Al Maahed Roundabouts to signal-controlled intersections, which improve traffic flow significantly,” said a statement yesterday. Ali bin Abi Talib
“The approved timeline put for completing the project is about 11 months. But Ashghal, in collaboration with the project’s contractor, is making efforts to commit to the timeline despite adding these improvements and increasing the number of labourers and equipment used in the work zone to reduce the project implementation time,” it added.
