By opening the Al Majd Road yesterday, Qatar has shown to the world that it is marching ahead at a fast pace in regard to overall development of the country and the infrastructure requirements of the state.
The Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday inaugurated Al Majd Road, the name inspired by “Tamim Al Majd” (Tamim the Glorious), the symbol of pride and resilience in facing the illegal blockade imposed on Qatar by some of its neighbours.
The four new roads, totalling 195 kilometer in length, includes Mesaieed Road, Hamad Port Road, Al Wukair Road and Al Majd Road. These roads will boost the land transport infrastructure and this in turn will help internal and external trade as it provides better connectivity to all the entry and exit points in the country like Hamad Port in the south, Al-Ruwais Port to the north and also to Hamad International Airport. It also seamlessly connects major industrial towns like Rass Laffan and Mesaieed to these ports.
The project to construct the four roads took just four years for Ashghal to complete even with the siege imposed by the four Arab states since June 2017. The blockade was effectively overcome by the authorities by finding new suppliers and routes to get materials. The quick action in identifying new markets and setting up shipping lines resulted in better financials and faster completion of projects.
The four roads took approximately 89 million working hours to construct. More than 7 million tonnes of asphalt, around 1,300,000 cubic meters of concrete and more than 200,000 tonnes of reinforcement steel were used for the construction of these roads proves the magnitude of the project and the fact that it was finished before projected time shows the efficiency of Ashghal and other stakeholders involved in the project. The team at Ashghal deserves all the praise for delivering such a huge project before time despite trying situations like blockade.
What makes it even more creditworthy is that the construction quality and safety features are of the highest international standards. It is one of the safest roads, owing to its unique and international standard design, which strategically provides two dedicated truck lanes and five light vehicle lanes to significantly reduce accident risks.
This is one giant step towards 2022 World Cup as these roads will connect most stadiums and also many residential areas. And this comes almost four years before the World Cup proves that Qatar is way ahead of schedule and proves how resilient Doha is.
