DOHA: The Public Works Authority has launched a community engagement programme to interact with residents, business owners and school managements in areas it is executing projects in to explain issues like traffic diversions and road safety.
The idea is to seek suggestions on how best to minimise the inconvenience caused to people and keep open channels of communication with local communities.
It is a novel initiative and launched, arguably, for the first time.
The Authority (Ashghal) introduced a key expressway programme to residents and business owners of Rawdat Al Khail area yesterday as part of the above initiative, a press statement said.
The Rawdat Al Khail Road Extension project, which is part of Ashghal’s expressway programme, involves construction of an eight-kilometre-long road, in both directions, between the Industrial Area Road and Mesaimeer Interchange and Abu Hamour Interchange.
Rawdat Al Khail is the new name of the area that was previously known as Al Muntazah Park area.
Schools in the area were also represented along with local residents and businesses.
The meeting discussed ways to ensure the safety of students by providing safe access to schools in the area.
The audience was briefed about the project and its future stages by Ashghal officials.
Present were the manager of the expressway project department in Ashghal, Nasser Al Kuwari, and Abdullah Saad Al Saad, PR manager.
Yesterday’s community event was held by Ashghal in coordination with Al Jabir Transport and Contracting Company, which is executing the Rawdat Al Khail extension project.
To ensure workers’ safety, Al Jabir has launched a novel project — a mobile training centre for workers.
A bus has been fully equipped with facilities to train workers and site supervisors on key safety issues related to working in confined areas or at high altitudes like high-rise buildings, and on avoiding sunstroke.
Contacted for comment, a prominent Central Municipal Council member, Mohamed Saleh Al Khayarin, while welcoming Ashghal’s move, said a major problem with Ashghal was that it was delaying projects, causing inconvenience to people.
“They must cite the reasons for delays in completion of a project,” Al Khayarin told this newspaper.
On the occasion 10 million man-hours of work without injury were celebrated. Mohamed Jawhar, Managing Director of Al Jabir, attended the event.
Rawdat Al Khail extension project also involves developing 2km of road from the F Ring road (the road from Jaidah tower via Apollo Hospital to Al Muntazah traffic lights intersection to the Industrial Area) as a link between the Mesaimeer Interchange and Abu Hamour Interchange.
The main Industrial Area Road will have four lanes in each direction, separated by a barrier in the middle with services and auxiliary lanes running parallel.
As part of the project, four multi-level interchanges will be built along the main Industrial Area Road and one multi-level interchange along the F Ring Road which will intersect the Wholesale Market Street.
The project will also include a tunnel providing access to a new Barwa development in the south of the Industrial Area, QNA said..
The Peninsula
