Qatar has awarded a QR7.6bn ($2.09bn) contract to Turkey’s Tekfen Construction for the construction of a 34km highway as part of the Al-Khor Expressway project.

The agreement was signed in Turkey’s capital Ankara on 23 August, according to a local media report.

Apart from the construction of the five-line 34km highway, the scope of the project includes the construction of 12 bridges and crossings, eight intersections and pedestrian, bicycle and motor lanes. It will link Doha with Lusail, Al-Khor and the new stadiums.

The project is understood to have an execution timeline of 30 months.

If delivered to schedule, the highway will be completed at about the same time as the first phase of the Doha Metro.

Along with the Doha Metro, Qatar has been ramping up the construction of new roads and the refurbishment of existing ones to comply with international standards while integrating the latest in transport technologies.

Upgrading its roads is presumably part of Doha’s commitment to deliver world-class infrastructure for the 2022 Fifa World Cup and in line with the state’s economic diversification programme.