Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has awarded a QR3.7bn ($1bn) construction package to the joint venture of Saudi Binladin Group and the local Qatari Diar for work on the Dukhan Highway in Doha.

The work will involve the upgrading of 6.5 kilometres of roads and the construction of five interchanges. The work will also involve the design and construction of a storm water micro-tunnel alongside the Dukhan Highway.

The 6.5km of road works will start from the Al-Mail roundabout to the Bani Hajer roundabout. The work is scheduled to begin in June and will take 42 months to complete.

In January, Ashghal awarded a joint venture of Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company and the local Teyseer Contracting Company an estimated QR1bn contract for work on the Dukhan highway project.

The Dukhan Highway project is part of Qatar’s plans to invest $20bn on new roads and related drainage and infrastructure in the next five years.

Ashghal has invited contractors to submit bids by 23 May for the first package on the estimated $700m Lusail Expressway project.

The road will run from the Arch roundabout to the area surrounding the Ritz Carlton hotel in Doha.

About seven companies have been prequalified for the tender, according to sources in Doha.

The first package will be 5.8km in length and will have about 16 lanes, some of which will be two or three levels. The expressway will also include three major interchanges, slip roads, underpasses and bicycle lanes. Construction work will take 36 months to complete.

The second package, which has not yet been tendered, will run beside the Lusail mixed-use development and then on to the Pearl real-estate development. The expressway will be about 12km long when completed (MEED 4:3:11).