Doha: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) yesterday signed a contract worth QR998.8m approximately with the German company Bilfinger Berger AG Civil and the Al Hamed Development and Construction company in Qatar for implementation of the first phase of the Doha Expressway project.

The "February 22 Intersection and Emir street" project includes development of the main highway from the Immigration intersection to the Midmac intersection, with service roads, infrastructure and landscaping works.

The project will include construction of four major interchanges-Omar bin Khatab, Al Rayyan (Jaida roundabout), Sudan and Al Sadd, which is an extension of the Al Sadd street and will include a tunnel.

The three-lane road on each side of the highway will be developed in to four-lane and all the major roundabouts will be converted into signals. Major intersections will be expanded with underpasses and bridges.

The contract was signed by Eng Zayed Mansor Alkhayareen, managing director and board member of Ashghal, Norbert Hoffmann, head of executive management of Bilfinger Berger and Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Hamid, president and CEO of Al Hamed Development and Construction Company.

Work on the project will begin by the end of this month and is scheduled to be completed in two years, Zayed Mansor Alkhayareen told the press yesterday.

Ashghal, in association with the Traffic and Patrol Department is in the process of finalising the traffic diversions.

The highway being one of the most crowded roads in Doha, Ashghal is keen to keep the impact of the work on the flow of traffic to the minimal, he added.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Ahmed Sultan Al Kuwari, assistant general manager for technical affairs at Ashghal, Ibrahim Hashim Al Sada, road affairs director at Ashghal and Meshan Nasser Al Khalifa, finance department manager. -- Zya