Car Rental in Doha – What First-Time Drivers Need to Know About Doha’s Roads

Getting a car rental in Doha makes perfect sense. Aside from being affordable, a rental also happens to be the best way to navigate the city. Here is a crash course on Doha’s major roads, to help you find your way.

Highways

Doha is connects to neighboring cities through five main highways.

– Dukhan Highway – This cconnects Doha to Qatar’s western cities.

– Al-Shamal Road – This connects Doha to Qatar’s northern cities.

– Al-Khor Expressway – This connects Doha directly to the town of Al-Khor, which lies in the north.

– Wakrah/Messaid Road – This connects Doha to Qatar’s southern cities.

– Salwa Road – This runs through the whole length and breadth of south Doha, connecting the city to Saudi’s border.

The good news is that these highways are always undergoing expansion, to accommodate the constantly growing flow of vehicles entering and leaving the area. The bad news is that depending on the extent of the construction work in progress, you may have to look for an alternative route or expect to proceed slowly.

Doha Expressway

In the old days, the Al Shamal Road connected to D-Ring Road, forming a three-lane carriageway. However, this area became so congested that the government decided to turn it into a major highway. This new highway is now called Doha Expressway. Al Shamal Road will eventually have eight lanes. As for the Doha Expressway itself, several phases of construction are still ongoing. The plan, however, is that once finished, the Expressway should connect Doha with the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge in al-Zubarah.

F-Ring Road

F-Ring will become Doha’s sixth ring road, once it is finished anyway. It will connect to the new Doha International Airport, providing a faster route via the new Ras Abu Aboud interchange.

Doha is constantly expanding its road network, adding new highways and replacing major roundabouts with overpasses and underpasses. To ensure a pleasant time on the road, take the time to find out which highways are under construction and which ones are not.