Qatar’s Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has awarded China’s Sinohydro Corporation a contract to build phase six of the Doha Expressway project.

The Chinese contractor will build the East Industrial Road section of the new expressway, which will link the Industrial Interchange to Street 33 in Doha. The work will involve the construction of a 3.5-kilometre long six-lane highway, two signalised grade separated interchanges and two overpass bridges. The project is estimated for completion in 2014.

The sixth phase of the Doha Expressway package will connect to the completed Industrial Interchange project, phase three of the Doha Expressway scheme, which was awarded to Croatia’s Konstruktor Inzenjening in 2006.

The East Industrial road project is the first construction package on the Doha Expressway to be awarded since January last year, when the joint venture of Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company and the local Teyseer Contracting was awarded an estimated QR850m ($233m) contract for the F-ring road, the 12th package of the expressway scheme.

The F-ring road work will be approximately 8km in length 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

In February 2011, Ashghal awarded the US’ KBR a QR491.4m ($135m) contract to provide project management services for the Doha Expressway and other major road projects over the next five years. KBR will 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.

The Doha Expressway is part of Ashghal’s plans to spend $20bn on developing Qatar’s roads and related drainage infrastructure up to 2015.

Contractors in Doha are still waiting for the main contract award for the estimated $700m first phase of the Lusail Expressway scheme, which will involve building a 16-lane highway of 5.8km in length. The first phase of the road project will run from the Arch roundabout to the area surrounding the Ritz Carlton hotel in Doha. At least seven international contractors submitted bids for the package in August last year.