Qatar Delivers a World-Class Transportation Corridor

Amidst Qatar’s swaying palm trees and impressive skyline is the developing Lusail Expressway, a best-in-class trans­porta­tion corridor that will transform the way in which people and goods travel across the country. Located in Qatar’s capital city of Doha, this new Expressway will run north from the West Bay’s business district to the Pearl (an innovative island development of top-quality real estate), along the Gulf to the fast-growing, modern city of Lusail: a sustainable planned city contribut­ing to Qatar’s vision of cultivating a prosperous social and economic society.

Tablets were used for data collection during construc­tion inspections on the Lusail Expressway project.

The Expressway represents a crucial component of the Public Works Authority Asghal’s contri­bu­tion to creating an ultramodern society. Upon completion, the Lusail Expressway will provide a vital connection between the country’s showpiece development zone and Qatar’s existing population centres and infra­struc­ture, enabling broader transit, new commerce possi­bil­i­ties and enhanced public safety.

The Lusail Expressway is among the largest public works programmes in the Middle East and one of the most impressive in terms of scope, complexity and creativity. This programme is made all the more challenging by the need to sustain existing transport and traffic along the corridor as the new, modernised sections are put into place. The upgraded corridor will include 5.4 kilometres of four-lane highway in each direction, with multiple side lanes at each of the three major inter­changes.

The expressway will cross two canals, with existing bridges demolished and replaced by new, multi-lane bridges. To keep the canals navigable throughout construc­tion and minimise envi­ron­men­tal impact on local flora and fauna, coffer dams are being built to divert the water while the foundation and piers are installed for each of the new bridges. An underground network of micro-tunnels is incor­po­rated into the overall design, in consid­er­a­tion of envi­ron­men­tal issues and resiliency. Some of these micro-tunnels will enhance storm-water capture and conveyance to the Gulf, while a separate network of service micro-tunnels is being handed over to the local electricity authority for the instal­la­tion of high- and medium-voltage trans­mis­sion cables. Overall, the tunnels and respective cables will support existing transit needs while accom­mo­dat­ing future city growth and, providing a lasting solution. 

As supervision consultant for the Lusail Expressway project, CDM Smith has the crucial and often sensitive respon­si­bil­ity of monitoring, measuring and adjusting the performance of the main contractor and numerous sub-contractors providing specialty services. Procurement has been one of the more challenging aspects of this work, involving immense, custom-crafted road and bridge components sourced from across the globe. 150 m high arches, immense hydraulic jacks, and state-of-the-art intelligent transport modules are some of the many extra­or­di­nary elements that are almost commonplace on this unique project. 

With the need for diverse technical skills including construc­tion, engineering, safety management, inspection, resident engineering, quality management and more, CDM Smith staff members have gathered from around the globe to support the project.

The Lusail Expressway programme is a critical component of Qatar’s continued stunning evolution, designed to move people and services with speed and ease by transforming transportation into and around the Doha area to benefit this growing region for years to come.