JEDDAH: The General Administra-tion of Roads at the Jeddah municipality said on Tuesday repairs covering over 8,300 sq meters have been completed following the Nov. 25 floods in the city.
The municipality had explained previously that the main cause of potholes in Jeddah is related to the lack of a drainage network. Rain-related floods weaken the asphalt because they merge with underground water that continually weakens the ground.
Director of the municipality’s road administration Faisal Shawli said the authority is aware of how substantial the damage is and is doing its best to maintain the roads.
“These projects should be completed during the first 10 days of January,” said Shawli.
Driving in the streets of Jeddah, Fadi Tohami was surprised to see the municipality’s workers deployed in different areas of the city, filling up potholes with asphalt.
During his 27 years in Jeddah he claimed he never saw the municipality or any concerned authority take the initiative to repair them. Instead they would remain there for months.
“The efficiency in asphalting the road was amazing,” said Tohami. In the morning, he had passed through Al-Faisaliyah area where two lanes were blocked. When he returned after a few hours, the roads were free of holes and usable. “No need for zigzagging,” he said.
A large number of heavy vehicles also contribute to potholes, according to the municipality. Much of the city lacks water supplied through pipes, causing a heavy dependence on water trucks that take their toll on the streets. In addition, some contractors fill the holes without sufficiently packing down the loose soil before covering them with asphalt. Repaired potholes are known to reappear within weeks.
The municipality announced in April that it had implemented Global Positioning Systems in its branches to locate potholes around the city before starting three projects worth SR40 million to fix them.
