TAIF GATEWAY: The proposed 11-km tunnel between Makkah and the summer resort of Taif will reduce travel time between the two cities to 20 minutes. (AN photo)

JEDDAH: Plans are under way to build the Kingdom’s largest tunnel, linking the holy city of Makkah and the summer resort of Taif. The cost is estimated at more than SR2 billion. The 11-km tunnel which is scheduled for completion in three years will reduce travel time between the two cities to 20 minutes.

Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal has approved the establishment of a firm named Al-Tareek Investment & Development Company to implement the project with the support of investors.

“A feasibility study on the project has been completed,” said Abdul Rahman Al-Quraie, director general of Taif Investment and Tourism Company (TITC), adding that the study would be presented to the relevant authorities for approval.

TITC is one of the founders of the new Al-Tareek company, Al-Quraie said, adding that Prince Khaled has agreed to increase the company’s capital from SR100 million to SR200 million.

Ali bin Haif Al-Qahtani, a member of the TITC board of directors, described the tunnel as a strategic project. “It will have a big economic impact,” Al-Watan Arabic daily quoted him as saying. The tunnel will begin at Khalidiya in Taif and will end at Al-Kar and connect with the Makkah-Taif Expressway,” Al-Qahtani said.

Thamir Hussein Al-Kuthairy, an engineering consultant, said it would be one of the biggest tunnels in the world. There will be two parallel tunnels, each with three lanes; one for upward traffic to Taif and the other for downward traffic to Makkah. The tunnels will have a diameter of 13.5 meters, a width of 14 meters and a height of 8.7 meters, he said.

Al-Kuthairy said the two tunnels would be linked by other tunnels every 300 meters. “The tunnels will be strong enough for the use of heavy-duty vehicles.”

The tunnel design will incorporate a high-tech system with safety control, ventilation, lighting, fire-fighting and emergency control all done through a central monitoring station room.

The tunnel will also be monitored with special cameras for operation and maintenance. The design of the tunnel’s entrance and exit will have a fountain with steps of flowing water as well as lighting.

Taiseer Al-Dhabit, a member of the TITC board, said company officials had already spoken to the Transport Ministry about the project.

At present nearly one million vehicles use the Makkah-Taif road every month. “We believe that the number of vehicles moving between the two cities will increase dramatically after the construction of the tunnel as people will find it safer and more comfortable,” he said. Taif, which is known for its salubrious climate and natural beauty, attracts more than two million tourists and holidaymakers every year.