Hassan Al-Zahrani, deputy chairman of the council, visited the bridge on Wednesday along with Tarek Fadaek, head of the construction committee, Saeed Bafuhaid, director of bridges and tunnels at the municipality, and some members of the Association of Jeddah Friends.

Al-Zahrani expressed his surprise for not taking quick corrective measures to ease traffic on the road.

“We had informed the municipality about public complaints regarding the access ramps on both sides of the bridge. They should have solved this simple problem long time ago,” he told Arab News.

He said the council had asked the municipality to pinpoint the party that caused the problem. “Every person involved in causing this problem should take his responsibility, be it the consultant or contractor or any other party,” he said. “Although the bridge was constructed several years ago it did not reduce the traffic problem in the area as a result of technical faults.”

He emphasized the need for close supervision of public projects in order to avoid such terrible mistakes.

Fadaek also called for a quick solution to the traffic problem on the bridge, through which a large number of vehicles pass every day. He called for quick construction of a ramp for passengers coming from the west to access King Fahd Road.

He said there is heavy traffic on the bridge during Ramadan, especially while employees go to and return from offices, before iftar (breaking of fasting), after taraweeh prayer and at suhur time. He expressed his surprise for the delay of work on the project for more than a year.

“All related parties should sit together and solve the problem as quickly as possible,” Fadaek said. He said he would meet with Alawi Sumait, deputy mayor for construction and projects, on Saturday to discuss the matter.

The municipality had given a warning to the contractor earlier this month, saying the project would be handed over to another contractor if he delays the work further and at his expense.

The municipality had earlier resorted to the assistance of professors at King Abdulaziz University to correct the bridge’s design.