A growing crack on one of the Doha roads in the vicinity of the Khalifa al-Attiya interchange in Mamourah. The damaged portion of the road was repaired once a few months ago, but now the crack has worsened. PICTURES: Shaji Kayamkulam

Doha

Many residents have attributed the appearance of cracks on some major roads and busy streets in recent times to the absence of proper maintenance, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.
Some of them said excavation carried out in some places along main roads has also caused severe damage. Apart from technical defects in construction, low standards of maintenance have also resulted in the poor condition of some roads, the daily notes.
Major damage on roads costs the State exchequer millions of riyals every year, the residents say. The waste of resources can be prevented if major road projects are properly implemented, according to some elder citizens.
Some of them said a number of new roads faced similar issues owing to lack of proper supervision during their execution and periodical inspection after their commissioning.
Due to the shortage of road inspectors in many areas, defects could not be detected on time and no proper follow-up could be done to carry out repairs, it was observed.
Reacting to these developments, members of the Central Municipal Council said better co-ordination between the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and municipalities could help solve all issues concerning the repair and maintenance of roads, the report pointed out.
The daily detected road damage caused by the lack of maintenance in places like the immediate neighbourhood of the Khalifa al-Attiya interchange in Mamourah.
It was found that because of poor maintenance, roads leading to all four directions there have suffered damage, according to the report.
The daily also quoted locals complaining about cracks and other defects in the Al Asiri tunnel on 22nd February Road, which is part of the Shamal Expressway. It also found numerous cracks on the asphalt layer on Ali Ibn Abi Talib and Haloul streets.