Doha: The Public Works Authority - Ashghal has announced the completion of construction works of 50 new parking lots to serve sports events of the 2021 Arab Cup and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with a total capacity of more than 51,000 cars and 5,600 buses on a total area covering approximately 3 million square metres, in coordination and cooperation with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and other service entities.
The new parking locations include dedicated parking lots for cars, buses and taxis, and were implemented within just three months. New parking spaces were provided in addition to the existing ones, to facilitate fans’ access to the stadiums, avoid congestion and improve traffic movement in the areas surrounding the stadiums during matches.
Ashghal handed over the new parking lots to the SC to manage their operation during the sports events in coordination with the concerned authorities at the Ministry of Interior.
The 50 new parking lots are divided into 26 parking lots that directly serve the stadiums directly, and 17 parking lots in different places far from the stadiums that serve the public by providing a "Park & Ride" service using the Metro as well as the bus network of the "Karwa" transportation company. 4 parking lots were implemented to serve the training grounds, in addition to the construction of 3 multi-use spaces.
As for the parking lots that serve the stadiums directly, 7 parking lots were implemented to serve Al Bayt Stadium, with a capacity of 19,000 cars and 1,930 buses. As for Al Janoub Stadium, 3 parking lots were built to serve it with a capacity of 1,800 cars and 750 buses. In addition, 5 parking lots for 4,000 cars and 370 buses were built to serve the Education City Stadium, in addition to 4 parking lots for Al Thumama Stadium serving about 11,400 cars and 400 buses, and 3 parking lots to serve Stadium 974 with a total capacity of 2,900 cars and 350 buses.
As for the parking lots that were built outside the stadium boundaries and in various places, they can accommodate about 11,900 cars and 1,800 buses. Thus, the total of all parking lots (50 sites) provides more than 51,000 parking spaces for cars and 5,600 for buses, and these are additional parking spaces other than the existing ones built earlier around stadiums.
On this occasion, Eng. Yousef Al Emadi, Projects Affairs Director at Ashghal clarified that the authority has placed projects and works that serve sports facilities among its top priorities, as the sites for the 2021 Arab Cup have already been handed over in coordination with the concerned authorities in the country, which constitute 70% of the preparations for the 2022 World Cup. He added that work is underway on the remaining sites according to the scheduled timetables.
On his part, Abdulaziz Ali Al Mawlawi, Host Country Mobility Operations Director at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, stated that SC is coordinating on regular basis with the Public Works Authority and all other concerned entities in the state to ensure the successful organisation of the 2021 Arab Cup and upcoming sport events, and that the completed parking lots would facilitate access of football fans to the stadiums, public transport network and the Metro. He added that Ashghal has implemented multi-purpose arenas and delivered to SC to meet all its requirements, from storage spaces to equipment, and required parking spaces.
For his part, Eng. Saoud Al-Tamimi, Roads Projects Department Manager at Ashghal confirmed that completion of this large number of parking lots within a short span of time is a significant achievement and proves the integration of efforts of all sectors of the state with the aim of making the upcoming sporting events very successful, pushing the name of Qatar as a major international destination for sport. Eng. Saoud Al Tamimi also pointed out that the completed parking lots are suitable for all types of vehicles and meet the current needs, and that Ashghal is currently implementing additional parking lots to serve the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Eng. Abdullah Ahin, Designs Department Manager at Ashghal, said: “A team was formed within the Designs Department to complete the designs for these sites as soon as possible to meet the priorities of the SC, and also to enable those involved in implementation from all Ashghal departments to complete the work according to the established timetables. Approvals of the service entities within the design work were also obtained in record time, as the roads network surrounding each parking lot was studied, and all safety standards were met for the entrances and exits of the parking lots, according to periodic coordination with representatives of the SC, to ensure that all their needs and requirements are met.”
While implementing the parking projects for stadiums as well as the country’s mobility plan at large, Ashghal was keen to apply highest standards of sustainability, as bus stops were implemented using asphalt layers, and for parking lots designated for cars and taxis, shredded asphalt recycled from previous construction works was used, contributing to achieving the principles of sustainability, value engineering and reduced construction costs.
Within its strategy to qualify local contractors and manufacturers, Ashghal has sought support of Qatari contractors to carry out all parking works, and the percentage of local components used amounted to more than 80 percent of the total materials used for the parking lots.
It is worth noting that the Public Works Authority is implementing this project as part of its efforts to develop the transport network for sports events in Qatar and to enhance the integration of the road network with both the Metro and Karwa bus network, in order to facilitate the fans' access to all stadiums.
