JEDDAH: Two major flyovers in Jeddah will be fully operational in 10 days, according to a municipal official.
“The two projects are worth SR37.3 million and they represent only a small part of the ongoing and planned road projects in the city,” said Ibrahim Kutubkhanah, deputy mayor for construction and projects, during a press conference yesterday regarding the status of Jeddah road projects.
One of the flyovers is located at the intersection between Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz (Tahliah) Street and Prince Miteb Street. The other one is located at King Fahd Road and Quraish Street.
The municipality’s total road projects are worth more than SR5 billion, he said, adding that the ongoing 18 road development projects are estimated at SR1 billion.
“Projects that are currently under bidding are estimated at SR1.1 billion while 35 projects worth SR3 billion are still in the designing phase,” he said.
He said that road projects are at the top of priorities of the municipality’s work agenda.
“More than SR700 million of this year’s budget was set for road development projects,” he noted.
This year, he said, the municipality has committed SR350 million to construct a flyover in northern Obhur area, SR300 million to complete the second phase of a number of flyovers and underpasses and SR50 million for other road maintenance projects.
Current ongoing projects include a flyover and underpass at the intersection between Prince Majed Street and Hera Street that is scheduled for completion before the end of this year. The second project, he said, includes an underpass at the intersection between Prince Majed Street and Al-Rawdah Street that is scheduled for completion next year.
“Other projects are under construction and are expected to be completed in several phases,” he said.
He said the municipality is working according to a strategic plan to ease traffic in Jeddah under the supervision of various consultancy companies and continuous workshops that are attended by engineers and experts.
Before commencing any road project, the municipality conducts a thorough study on its impact on traffic, he said, adding that the study would reveal if the road would need a flyover, an underpass or just minor intersection development.
He said that an estimated cost of a flyover would range from SR35 million to SR45 million, while the underpass would range from SR110 million to SR150 million.
These projects are expected to ease traffic on some of Jeddah’s busiest streets, he said. According to unofficial estimates, more than one million vehicles ply on Jeddah’s roads cutting about six million trips daily.
