DAMMAM, 10 October 2003 — The ongoing construction and repair work on the Dammam-Alkhobar Expressway has plunged traffic into chaos, with residents experiencing long traffic jams and traffic police unable to control the traffic movement.
The Traffic Department last month started the second phase of repair and construction work on the expressway between the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Khobar end of the highway. The first phase of renovation was completed three months ago.
Traffic is diverted from the main expressway to the local lane. In the morning hours traffic is routinely heavy as thousands of commuters as well as school buses use the road.
The traffic light at the Sports City intersection has long phases, and traffic is held up for long periods causing massive jams. Constant security checks at the regional headquarters of the National Guard on the same road add to the delays.
The Traffic Department admits that the congestions and jams at times become unmanageable and have been causing inconvenience to commuters.
One morning last week all traffic at a point on the expressway came to a standstill because of an earlier accident. Many office workers and school children reached their destination almost an hour late. Adding to the chaos was the traffic department’s decision to switch the traffic signals from automatic to manual, and traffic police operating the signal were unable to cope with the long queues of cars and buses.
The Traffic Department has said that work will continue for some time and the expressway might open to traffic by next week.
The Eastern Province has undertaken a mammoth project to construct new roads and streets and repair the existing work. The project has been completed in Alkhobar and the department is now concentrating on Dammam.
