DAMMAM, 3 September 2003 — King Saud Street was opened to traffic on Sunday ending a three-month period of road works that caused hardship to many motorists here.

The Transport Ministry has taken up several road projects in the Eastern Province and recently sanctioned SR260 million for the purpose.

According to Othman Abahsain, director general of the transport department in Dammam, this allocation includes both construction and maintenance of roads and highways.

In Dammam the projects move at a snail’s pace. In Alkhobar, by contrast, projects are completed in record time with positive results.

Residents in Dammam say that the new-look King Saud Street has not made any difference to traffic flow.

“The road looks new but it has not been widened enough to ease the traffic congestion,” said Abdullah, an electronics merchant on King Saud Street who lost considerable business due to the street closure.

But in Alkhobar the renovation work has changed the entire skyline of the city, which some say now looks like Manhattan.

In the past two years, Alkhobar has undergone tremendous change. Its main Dhahran street as well as King Abdul Aziz Street which connects to the Dammam-Khobar Expressway has been widened to such an extent that at times motorists are confused.

The Alkhobar Corniche too has been beautified. On the other hand, there is little visible change in downtown Dammam, despite limited expansion there.

Residents say that Dammam’s streets need expanding. Many of its streets are so narrow that the traffic department finds it difficult to manage traffic there, and locations like the Dammam Souk, the Gold Market and the Ladies’ Market are almost unmanageable in terms of traffic. The traffic department has made several attempts to regulate traffic flow, but this has only led to confusion.

In its SR260 million allocation, the ministry earmarked SR85 million for the construction and repair of the Dammam-Abu Haidaryah Highway, while SR65 million is intended for the Dammam-Jubail Highway. The department has also sanctioned SR30 million for the maintenance of various other highways and roads in the region. In addition, SR80 million has been set aside to meet any shortfall or future projects.