Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has floated a new tender worth an estimated $179m to improve Doha’s C Ring Road.

The work includes the conversion of various existing roundabouts/junctions into signalised junctions, widening of the C-Ring Road, inspection of existing traffic signals equipment and replacement of old traffic signals.

Ashghal is inviting bids from local companies or joint ventures that include a local partner, with a tender bond of about $1.8m.

The deadline for bids is 10 December.

In July, Ashghal reopened the prequalification process for local and international companies seeking to build road schemes under the Expressway Programme. The authority is seeking to establish a data bank of firms experienced in “high quality and innovative infrastructures” for road schemes in the programme. Ashghal prequalified several local and international contractors to bid for expressway schemes in early 2012.

Work on the programme started last year and the contracts signed to date total QR16bn ($4.4bn), according to Ashghal. A further 27 construction packages involving expressways and primary urban and rural routes in and around Doha will be launched over the next five years. A total of 900 kilometres of roads, avenues, viaducts, tunnels and other road structures are forecast to be built under the programme.

The deadline for bids to prequalify for the road projects was extended to 10 November.