MAKKAH: Efforts are under way to expand the road network in Makkah to cope with the increasing number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims. New roads are becoming necessary to also negate the impact from ongoing huge construction work in Makkah.

The new Umm Al-Momineen Ayesha Road in Al-Fayha neighborhood is a key project to link the Madinah Road with the Old Jeddah Road, passing across the districts of Al-Buhairah and Al-Fayha.

The SR15 million road, seven-km-long and 45-meter-wide with four lanes each way, is expected to ease traffic from the north of the city traveling to the west and south, including through the central zone. The land for the road was acquired for SR53 million.

The Khadijah Road is another new project, linking the crowded Al-Jazair Street with the Rie Zakhir Street. The road, 2.5-km-long and 20-meter-wide, aims to ease the pressure on the roads near the Grand Mosque Road by traveling through old neighborhoods and hilly locations in Makkah.

The road is being constructed in two stages. The first stage of the road, 1.6-km-long, improves traffic flow in the hilly neighborhoods at a cost of SR8.5 million, while land for the 900-meter second phase is still being acquired.

The Eskan Road in Al-Rusaifah is expected to reduce pressure on the Jeddah Expressway, particularly in locations close to the Grand Mosque and the Holy Sites. The first part of the road, 6.5-km-long and 60-meter-wide, begins at Circular Road 3 with a two-km link to Circular Road 4. The second part of the road, 4.5-km-long, will link to the Jeddah Expressway.

Work is also in progress to complete the Circular Road 3 with a 10-km link road between the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway and the Makkah-Madinah Expressway at a cost of SR472 million.

Other projects to be completed this year include the completion of the western part of the Circular Road 2, in addition to 100 new road and transport projects in the province at a total cost of SR4.5 billion. In total, there are four circular roads in Makkah with three lanes each way, while a planned project for a fifth circular road is yet to start.