Transport in Doha


Since the early 2000s, Doha, the capital of Qatar has been undergoing an extensive expansion in its transportation network including the addition of new highways, the construction of a new airport, and the addition of the Doha metro. These projects are meant to keep up with the population's rapid growth, which has strained the country's current infrastructure.

Highways

There are five main highways connecting Doha to its neighboring cities. These are the Dukhan Highway to the west of the city, the Al Shamal Road, connecting Doha to the north of the country, the Al Khor Coastal Road, connecting Doha to the northern town of Al Khor, and the Al Wakrah/Mesaieed Road, connecting Doha to the south of the country. Finally, Salwa Road runs through south Doha and connects the city to the Saudi border to the south of the country.
These highways are all currently undergoing expansion, and are being expanded within Doha itself.

Doha Expressway Project

The Doha Expressway was a major infrastructure project undertaken by the Qatari government to address the rising transportation demands of the rapidly developing capital city of Doha. Conceived as the nation's inaugural freeway system, the project aims to establish a modern and efficient road network spanning both urban and rural areas of the Doha Metropolitan Area. It was launched in 2007 and completed in 2015 at a cost of approximately 15 billion Qatari riyals.
The expressway's implementation was carried out in multiple phases, encompassing the construction of numerous underpasses, flyovers, and interchanges to facilitate traffic flow. The initial stages involved the development of a 6-kilometer, three-lane dual carriageway between the Garrafa and Asiri interchanges, along with the completion of the Industrial Interchange project, which featured a new flyover linking Doha to the Industrial Area and an underpass along Salwa Road.
Subsequent phases focused on extending the expressway by constructing additional multi-lane dual carriageways, connecting various intersections and landmarks, such as the E-Ring Road, Al-Muntazah Street, and the New Doha International Airport. The project included the establishment of the G-Ring Road, a 22-kilometer, three-lane dual-carriageway stretching from Road 55 to the airport. The Public Works Authority hired several international consultants and contractors, including Parsons International for concept design, KBR for program management, and AECOM for site supervision and quantity surveying.

Al Majd Road

is the longest highway in Qatar, running at a length of from south-to-north. It begins in Mesaieed in Al Wakrah Municipality and extends north towards Ras Laffan on the coast in Al Khor Municipality.
Constructed by Ashghal, the road features 7 lanes in both directions, which altogether can accommodate roughly 16,000 vehicles an hour. There are 21 main interchanges, linking the highway with other important roads such as G-Ring Road, Salwa Road, Dukhan Highway, and Al Shamal Road. Ashghal claims that the road reduces travel times by up to 50% from its beginning to end when compared with the alternative route running through Doha proper.
The highway opened on an official level in February 2019; its opening marked a name change from the Orbital Highway to Al Majd Road.

Al Shamal Road

Al Shamal Road is approximately 95.2 km in length and connects the Doha Metropolitan Area with the northern region of Al Shamal. Starting in June 2012, Ashghal commenced the North Road Corridor Enhancement Project, which saw the construction of over 200 km of service roads and the redevelopment of Al Shamal Road.
In the future, Al Shamal Road is planned to connect Doha with the planned Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge at Al Zubarah, connecting the two Persian Gulf states in a similar manner to how Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are currently connected.

Al Khor Road

Commutes between Doha and the municipality of Al Khor are currently facilitated Al Khor Road, which runs through Al Daayen.
Construction on the road began in 2016, after Turkish company Tekfen was contracted to construct the road at a cost of $2.1 billion. The road runs for 33 km and has 29 tunnels and 5 bridges. It is the main route connecting the Doha Metropolitan Area and Lusail with Al Khor, terminating at the Al Bayt Stadium. Over 20 residential areas are served by the road, including Simaisma, Umm Qarn and The Pearl, and the industrial hubs of Mesaieed and Dukhan are indirectly served by the road via its intersection with Al Majd Road. Tourist destinations served by the road include Al Farkiya Beach, Katara Cultural Village and Simaisma Beach.
In 2020, an olympic cycling track was opened to the public. It stretches for almost 33 km to the immediate west of the highway. Connected to the cycling path is a 38 km-long pedestrian path which has 18 underpasses, opened a year later in 2021. In September 2020, the development was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for two separate accolades: having the longest unbroken expanse of paved asphalt at 25.275 kilometers, and having the most expansive cycling track connected to the highway, at 32.8 km.

Lusail Expressway

The Lusail Expressway serves as an arterial road in the Doha Metropolitan Area, linking the capital Doha and the rapidly-growing Lusail City while also providing access to numerous public destinations. These include The Pearl Island development in northern Doha, the cultural hub of Katara Cultural Village, the central business district of West Bay, and a plethora of residential communities, hotels, shopping malls, and other amenities.
Spanning 5.5 kilometers from Lusail in the north to the West Bay area in the south, the expressway's design incorporates three multi-level interchanges. The main carriageway comprises four lanes in each direction, complemented by an extensive network of feeder service roads. The road includes 6.5 kilometers of dedicated pathways for pedestrians and cyclists, separate from the main thoroughfare. Constructed at a total cost of nearly $5 billion Qatari riyals, the Lusail Expressway project was undertaken by Hyundai Engineering & Construction, with CDM Smith serving as the consulting firm. The project was started on May 21, 2012, and was completed in late 2020.
Key interchanges include:
  • The Arch Interchange features a three-level design, encompassing an at-grade signalized intersection, an underpass, and a flyover.
  • The Al Gassar Interchange boasts a four-level configuration, including an at-grade signalized intersection, an underpass, a tunnel, and a flyover.
  • The Pearl Interchange comprises three levels, with an at-grade signalized intersection, an underpass, and a flyover.
Additionally, as part of the construction project, two sea bridges were constructed near The Pearl and Lusail, further enhancing connectivity. The North Canal Crossing Bridge spans six lanes in each direction, providing direct access to the Lusail City development and the northern regions of Qatar from Doha, while the South Canal Crossing Bridge, located between the Onaiza and Pearl Intersections, accommodates eight lanes in each direction.

Dukhan Highway

Doha is linked to the country's western settlements, namely Dukhan, through Dukhan Highway. The Public Works Authority carried out the Dukhan Highway Central Project in 2017 to enhance the road network.

Salwa Highway

Completed in 1970, the Salwa Highway was the first road to link both the southern part of Qatar, including Al Karaana, and the bordering country of Saudi Arabia, to Qatar. The highway spans 95 kilometers in length, connecting the Doha Industrial Area with the town of Salwa, Saudi Arabia. The Salwa Highway features a dual four-lane carriageway system complemented by 11 strategically placed interchanges bridges. These bridge structures encompass two-span and four-span configurations tailored to the specific requirements of each location, with Interchanges 29, 35, 51, 62, and 84 adhering to the diamond configuration, while Interchange 42 was constructed in a trumpet configuration. The road was redeveloped in a project launched in July 2003 by the Public Works Authority to fulfill the interim traffic requirements for the 2006 Asian Games held in Doha. This redevelopment project was completed in December 2008.

F-Ring Road

F-Ring Road is the sixth ring road in Doha. It is a thoroughfare connecting Rawdat Al Khail Street to Al Matar Street, facilitating access to the New Doha International Airport and establishing a direct route to the southern districts of Doha. Spanning a length of 8.7 kilometers, the expressway consists of six to eight lanes, delineated by a central median, with accompanying ramps and service roads at junctions. Noteworthy features include two interchanges at Al Matar Street and Najma Street Extension, both requiring the construction of bridges. Two-lane frontage roads run parallel with the primary carriageway to accommodate local traffic movement.
The road bridges crucial gaps between Musaimeer Street and the primary route leading to Al Wakrah, facilitating swift transit to and from the New Doha International Airport and the Industrial Area.
Outlined as part of the Expressway Programme, the F-Ring Road project was completed for 837,000,000 Qatari Riyals. Construction commenced on 1 April 2011, and it reached completion in the fourth quarter of 2014. Undertaken by a joint venture between construction companies Teyseer and Consolidated Contractors Company, the project's design consultation was overseen by Parsons International and Dar Al-Handasah.

G-Ring Road

The G-Ring Road spans 22 kilometers from Hamad International Airport to the south of the Doha Industrial Area. It features five lanes in each direction alongside 48 kilometers of lanes designated for pedestrians and cyclists, all bordered by landscaping. Construction of this road began in December 2013, finishing in the last quarter of 2019 at a total cost exceeding 4 billion Qatari riyals.
This road is a crucial aspect of Qatar's expressway network, facilitating uninterrupted traffic flow and significantly improving traffic movement in the country's southern regions.
Key interchanges include:
  • Al Bahyia Interchange: This interchange connects the New Industrial Area and the Logistic Village at Al Wukair, offering an alternative route from Salwa Road.
  • Bu Silla Interchange: This interchange links the New Industrial Area and the Logistic Village at Al Wukair, providing an additional route to the Industrial Area.
  • Aba Al Seleel Interchange: This interchange improves connectivity between the Orbital Highway and the Industrial Area, connecting it with Hamad International Airport, Hamad Port, and the Abu Samra Border Crossing.
  • Al Hefain Interchange: Improves connection between the East Industrial Road and Al Aziziya Street Extension.
  • Jerry Musabbeh Interchange: Improves connectivity of Al Wakrah and Al Wukair with northward regions.
  • Umm Beshr Interchange: Provides alternative routes to reach Hamad International Airport without entering the Al Wakrah Main Road.
  • Al Thumama Interchange: This interchange improves the connection between Al Wakrah, Al Wukair, F-Ring Road, Al Thumama, and the Old Airport.
  • Airport Interchange: This improves the connection of Al Wakrah and Al Wukair with Hamad International Airport and other areas.