Stories

The Qatar Expressway Programme is the world's largest road infrastructure project. As program management consultant, KBR is responsible for overseeing supervision consultants, design consultants and construction contractors on this high profile project.

An artist impression of the Dukhan Highway to Al Khor Link Road.

There are 51 separate jobs to be completed and twenty-six of these projects are in the design stage while 14 are already in construction. Five others are in the procurement for construction stage, five are in beneficial use and one job has been completed.

One of the major jobs KBR is overseeing on behalf of our client, the Public Works Authority (known as Ashghal), is the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route. This project is located to the west of Doha, the nation's capital, and will provide the backbone of Qatar's growing road network and relieve traffic congestion within the city.

The majority of the New Orbital Highway and Truck Route will be constructed in the middle of the desert and will be a considerable distance from any major town or city.

The new 190km route, which includes 22 new multi-level interchanges, will have a beneficial impact for Doha by providing connectivity to different points in the region such as the new Doha Port and reducing traffic and congestion within the city. The interchanges will also create safe, high speed highways around the outskirts of Doha. As construction of the project ramps up, 14,764 workers will be employed this year.

The Expressway Programme has become quite popular in the region and receives frequent and positive media mentions in Qatar media outlets like the Qatar Tribune and the Peninsula.

Full steam ahead - ten excavators work together to prepare for the construction of one of the four two-level interchanges being built on the New Doha Port to Orbital Highway sub-project.

Due to the size and geographical spread of the new Orbital Highway and Truck Route, the work is divided into four sub-projects. A dual carriageway will consist of four to five lanes in each direction with the provision for two future lanes in each direction allowing for the growth and development of both the city of Doha and nation of Qatar. A significant portion of the new route provides heavy goods vehicles with their own separate roadway, a unique feature that allows general traffic to flow freely and safely along the main expressways. The road also includes a passageway for camels to travel.

Concrete is poured for the foundation of two piers of a bridge that will form part of a two-level interchange on the Dukhan Highway to Al Khor Link Road sub-project.

As the number of projects in construction grows, so too will the workforce, which is expected to reach 48,465 by the end of 2015 and peak at nearly 91,000 people in 2017. With a project of this scale, in a country with a population of 2.15 million, finding the right people to deliver the work has proven to be difficult.

KBR has met this employment challenge by attracting a well-qualified international talent pool. This priority is reflected in our team, which is comprised of technical experts and professionals from around the world including the U.K., the U.S., Philippines, India, South Africa and Australia.

Heavy machinery compacts the ground which will soon become the new 14 lane highway.

"We welcome these new international teammates to KBR," said Graham Hill, Executive Vice President, Business Development and Strategy. "We are excited to play such an integral role as program management consultant on the Qatar Expressway Programme. This Qatar team is a vital part of ONE KBR, in which all employees follow our global processes and tools to assure that KBR delivers on its commitments in a safe, efficient, cost-effective manner and to highest quality standards."