Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has awarded a $184m roads contract to a joint venture of Kuwait’s Burhan International Construction and the local International Trading & Contracting (ITC).

The contract, which was awarded in mid-March, covers the construction and maintenance of a network of roads in and around the town of Bani Hajer, 10 kilometres northwest of Doha.

The contract is made up of three parts. The first and second parts are for the removal of an existing road, the construction of a two-lane 5.3km dual carriageway, and 37.6km of single lane carriageways in and around the site. The third part of the contract includes the construction of a separate 11.4km single lane carriageway, drainage systems and the provision of road crossings for future utilities.

The terms of the first and second parts of contract include:

• Site clearance
• Surface water drainage systems
• Earth works
• Asphalt works
• Kerbs and footpaths
• Sewerage networks
• Public utilities

The third part of the contract includes design and construction of a foul sewerage network, surface water drainage systems, and traffic signs and road markings

Bani Hajer has been linked to two other roads development projects in 2010. In late February, construction finished on the $47m first phase of the Dukhan Highway project, a comprehensive infrastructure project worth a total at $1bn.

This phase links Bani Hajer to the Izaghava neighbourhood near Education City, northwest of Doha City. The eight-kilometre road will ultimately link the northwest suburbs to Qatar’s North Road.

UK-based Atkins is also designing the second phase of the Dukhan Highway project. This phase is valued at $300m and will include the construction of a 16km section of highway that will link Bani Hajer to Shahamiyah in Qatar’s central region.

All of the projects are part of Qatar’s $20bn plan to renovate and modernise its network of roads and associated infrastructure by 2014.