The call was made after a committee from the council, led by its chairman Hussein Baaqeel, inspected the sites, one of which is waterlogged, on Monday.

The first 850-meter project at a cost of SR113 million is scheduled to be completed in October while the second tunnel, costing SR130 million, will take more than two years to complete.

“Work on the second 670-meter project that reaches up to the traffic light on Al-Amanah Street and connects with the Makkah Road Bridge has not begun yet. It will take over two years to complete,” Baaqeel said.

About 500,000 cubic meters of water is being pumped daily to the sea from the area, he added.

While some members demanded that the first project be opened at the scheduled time and the second underpass be abandoned, others said both projects should be completed as early as possible to solve the severe traffic problems faced in the area, he said.

“In light of the disagreement, Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh suggested that a suitable decision should be taken after discussing the issues in a workshop attended by Municipal Council members, municipality officials, academics, the Traffic Department and other related agencies,” he added.

The project’s contractor and its general supervisor briefed the visiting committee on the details of the two projects.