(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Truck operators have welcomed the Ministry of Transport's move to build four new truck parks by calling tenders for the projects from private entrepreneurs in the country.
Yesterday, the ministry formally announced its plans, through major newspapers, for involving the private sector in launching the truck parking facilities on a DBFOT (design, build, finance, operate and transfer) basis in four locations.
Gulf Times has learnt from sources that the new truck parks are likely to come up at Al Kharana (on the western side of Salwa Road, close to Mukheniz), Al Wakrah, Al Khor and Umm Slal, which would allow heavy vehicles from three directions - west, south and north - find adequate parking space.
Truck operators said they hoped the new projects would be executed promptly once the necessary clearances were obtained and formalities completed.
While expressing optimism over the new projects and how they would prove beneficial, some operators urged the authorities to consider developing several smaller parking facilities in different parts of the country as an alternative to building large ones in just four or five locations.
One of the operators said with major infrastructural projects being executed in the country, such as the new port in the south, more truck parking facilities are required in that area.
Further, he said the southern parts of Qatar should have more than one truck parking facility as several major companies are located in Mesaieed Industrial City and more are coming up in the area.
When the Barwa Al Baraha complex on the outskirts of the Industrial Area was formally announced last year, it was said that the country had between 15,000 and 20,000 trucks, including those that entered the country every day through the Abu Samra border post.
Barwa Al Baraha can accommodate over 4,000 trucks. However, it is understood that the facility is underutilised at present due to various factors, including road works in the Industrial Area and traffic congestion on roads leading to the place.
It is, though, expected that improved road connectivity across the country would boost the occupancy rate at the truck park in the coming days.
With a truck route already in place between Lusail and Mesaieed, the new parking areas would be more accessible and convenient for a large number of operators plying between the south and north, without touching the congested areas of the city, sources said. This seems particularly important as a large number of infrastructure development activities are currently underway in both the south and north.
It is also expected that there would be a big leap in the number of trucks in the country in the next couple of years as work on major projects such as the Doha Metro, Expressway and the new port is progressing fast.
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