Cracking, rutting roads add to motorists’ misery

Questions are mounting over the quality of newly-built roads across Doha, as increasing number of motorists say lanes are caving in or rutting and pavements cracking open.

“These are newly laid out roads and the fact that they are ever deteriorating tells you so much about the quality control mechanism in place,” a motorist, a 20-year resident of Doha said.

As an example, he pointed out to the recently expanded road under the Jaidah flyover when coming from The Centre roundabout. The busy junction leading to the Corniche and the densely-populated Musheireb area in one direction and to Ramada junction and the Salwa highway on the other was dug up towards the end of September, 2009 for expansion work.

New lanes were added as part of expansion. “Ironically, it’s the newly added third lane which has rutted,” the annoyed motorist added. Rutting is the depression into a road or path by the travel of wheels. Often it is the result of flowing water also.

Ruts can be removed by grading a road surface. Another resident, from Abu Hamour, has pointed to the similar problem near the roundabout which brings in traffic from Al Mamoura towards the area.

“This whole road took years to be completed and was partly opened in the last couple of years. In fact road works are still happening on some stretches especially close to the Abu Hamour petrol station.

However the condition of third lane here has deteriorated already,” she said.

Motorists coming down from the Abu Hamour petrol station and heading towards the Qatar Decoration roundabout are being affected by this one. Here in the right-most lane, the road has rutted so bad that the asphalt layer has started shifting towards the pavement and in some patches has overtaken it.

Just a block down, on the Doha Expressway near the Khalifa Al Attiya interchange (formerly AlMamoura/D-Ring Road intersection), whole stretch of pavements have started cracking.

“The road between the intersection and Midmac intersection was so bad, it started developing cracks right after its opening,” a regular user of the road said. “You could see whole stretched refilled and patched again.

However, cracks are now appearing elsewhere. It makes you want to question the quality of materials being used. Some of the much older roads in Doha are still intact,” he said.