Held last March 7-8 at the Intercontinental Hotel Doha, International Quality and Productivity Center’s (IQPC) Road Planning, Design and Construction Middle East was put together in order to profile major road projects, and define key issues, benefits and challenges associated with the latest technologies, systems and materials available. It also serves as a major platform for road sector experts to engage in a variety of discussions on overcoming construction challenges and effective project management including planning, designing, integrating and construction projects in the region.

With the Qatar government leading the way in road infrastructure development with an allotted investment of US$20 billion over the next five years through the Ministry of Public Works (Ashghal), WOQOD is proud to have been the Gold Sponsor for this year’s event. Aside from representatives from Ashghal, the event also brought together key decision makers from the Urban Planning Council, Kuwait’s Ministry of Public Works, Transportation Ministries of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Abu Dhabi and other government offices of Bahrain, Dubai, Oman and Syria. Topics discussed were Qatar’s Road Infrastructure, Mitigating Congestion, Addressing Construction Challenges, and exploring regional case studies and best practices.

Aside from attending the conference, WOQOD’s Superintendent for Bitumen Operations, Mr. Samer Amin Al Omar did a presentation on Identifying the Significant Role of Bitumen in Road Pavements during the first day of the event. Other WOQOD delegates included Mr. Taoufik Tounsi – Supervisor for Bitumen Marketing, Mr. Asif Nadeem – Bitumen Operation Supervisor, Mr. Rao Sudursana – Bitumen QC supervisor, and Mr. Bashar Daboul – Bitumen Operator.