US company KBR has been awarded a QR491.4m ($135m) contract by Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) to provide project management services for the Doha Expressway and other major road projects over the next five years.

Speaking on the sidelines of MEED’s Qatar Projects 2011 conference, Saad al-Misnad, adviser to the president’s office, Ashghal, confirmed that KBR would provide project management services for 29 major road projects, including the remaining packages of the Doha Expressway, planned for the Gulf state up to 2015.

In addition to KBR’s appointment to provide project management services for the Doha Expressway and major projects, Ashghal is planning to appoint a project management consultant for local and minor road projects.

During the conference, Misnad affirmed Ashghal’s commitment to spend $20bn on developing Qatar’s roads and related drainage infrastructure up to 2015.

From 2011-12, Ashghal plans to tender 13 road projects that total 344 kilometre in length. This programme will include the 15km-long package 11 of the Doha Expressway and the 107km New Orbital Highway. From 2012-14, Doha plans to build new roads totalling 136km in length.

Ashghal recently awarded the joint venture of Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) and the local Teyseer Contracting company two contracts worth an estimated total of QR1.9bn ($522m) for road projects in Doha.

The first contract is worth an estimated QR1bn and is for the Dukhan Central road project, the second phase of the Dukhan highway project.

The second contract is worth an estimated QR850m and is for the F-ring road, which is package 12 of the Doha Expressway.

The F-ring road work will be about 8km long and will extend from the intersections of Abu Hamur and Al-Muntazah streets to the New Doha International Airport. The project will include the construction of a three-lane dual carriageway, four interchanges, infrastructure and landscaping (MEED 24:1:11).