DOHA: Closure of the busy two-lane road between Al Nuaija intersection on D-Ring Road (near the Mall) and Mansoura intersection near Najma from Tuesday night has caused heavy traffic snarls on the surrounding roads and intersections.
This road has been closed for one-and-a-half months as part of expansion works, Ashghal had said. The two-lane road will be expanded into a three-lane one in both directions and the small roundabout near Woqod petrol station will be converted into a signalised intersection.
Being a key road in the central part of Doha, connecting the D- Ring and C-Ring roads, the closure has led to chaotic traffic on the surrounding roads, especially on a major stretch of the C-Ring Road from Rawdat Al Khail intersection to Najma intersection (near Al Mana towers).
All roads leading to the Nuaija intersection on D-Ring Road and the Mansoura Intersection on C-Ring Road also witnessed heavy traffic until late evening yesterday.
“I am stuck on the D-Ring road. Traffic is at a standstill near the Mall (Nuaija) intersection,” an expatriate heading to Al Salata from Old Airport area told this daily at around 10.30pm yesterday.
With closure of this key section of the Najma Street, as it is officially known, motorists heading from E-Ring Road and the Old Airport area towards C-Ring Road must either rely on internal roads or drive all the way to Najma intersection or Rawdat Al Khail intersection to reach Najma, Mansoura and neighbouring areas.
Many people who didn’t know about the closure, despite an announcement by Ashghal, were caught unawares in the heavy traffic yesterday.
“I was held up on C-Ring Road this morning while going to the airport. It took more than a hour to reach the airport from my house in New Salata area. All the roads leading from Gulf Cinema intersection to the Al Mana intersection witnessed the heaviest traffic jams,” said an Indian expatriate yesterday.
Closure of at least one major entry point to the interior roads linking C-Ring and D-Ring roads yesterday made the situation worse, said some motorists.
“I was coming from Najma towards Lulu Hypermarket at around 5pm and found the road to the Mall intersection closed. Then I took a left turn at the Gulf Cinema signal towards Al Mana signal hoping to take the interior road near the Commercial Bank to reach D-Ring Road. But to my surprise, entry to that road was closed using concrete barricades,” said another expatriate.
“Then I had to go all the way to Al Mana intersection and then take a right to finally reach the D-Ring Road,” he added.
The Peninsula
