Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is preparing to issue tender documents for a series of major highway projects in and around Doha.

Ashghal has prequalified local and international contractors for the projects, which include packages on the Al-Rayyan road, the Orbital road, the East-West road and Wakrah road. Altogether, there are 10 packages that will be tendered. The contracts will be a mix of traditional construction and design-and-build schemes. About eight contracting groups are expected to be invited to bid for each package.

Contractors were prequalified for Qatar’s major road programme in 2011, and were invited to express interest in the individual pacakges earlier this year.

The East/West Corridor expressway will link Doha’s industrial area to the New Doha International Airport (NDIA), which is due to open by the end of 2012. The second package will cover the construction of a 10.75-kilometre-long section of the expressway, which will start just west of Barwa City and will extend to the NDIA.

The East/West road will contain five lanes in each direction and will feature three major interchanges. One interchange will be for a new access route to the Barwa City development, one will be for the Wakrah bypass and the third for Al-Matar street.

The Al-Rayyan road package will involve upgrading the section of road from the west of the new Rayyan roundabout to the East of Bani Hajer roundabout. The work will involve upgrading about 2.9km of the main road, 3km of side roads and about 6km of associated service roads. The road package will also contain three interchanges.

Altogether, Doha’s Expressway programme involves building more than 30 major road projects in the next five years. Ashghal is planning to spend QR100bn ($27.5bn) in this period to upgrade the country’s roads and drainage infrastructure.

The US’ KBR was appointed by Ashghal as the programme manager to oversee its major highway projects in February 2011.