JEDDAH: A glimpse of Jeddah’s future status as a smart city can be had at a traveling show of the ongoing and future development projects across the city and the province.

The show — 4th annual traveling exhibition of Jeddah’s development projects worth SR250 billion — was opened by Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed at the Red Sea Mall here.

Nineteen major government sectors are participating in the 21-day expo. Once completed, the projects will make Jeddah a diverse city in terms of organization and services, and herald its march toward becoming a smart city.

Jeddah Mayor Hani Abu Ras, General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Vice President Faisal Sugair, Mohammad bin Hamza, head of the local council for the development of the Jeddah Province, and a number of government officials and citizens were present at the opening.

Prince Mishaal said the Jeddah development traveling exhibition reflects Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman’s keen interest in conceiving and implementing projects aimed at making Jeddah a smart city.

He added that massive tourism projects have been implemented, with many others currently under way on the Corniche, which will contribute toward enhancing the importance of Jeddah as a major tourist destination in the Middle East.

The exhibition aims to raise awareness among the residents about the projects implemented by the government for their welfare in various parts of the city and the province. Most projects exhibited at the show have been either completed or nearing completion.

The prince called on the citizens and the expatriate community to visit the exhibition, which features models of various educational, health and infrastructure projects, and know the government’s development plans for Jeddah.

The governor toured the exhibition, especially the pavilions of five major projects related to the first phase of the new King Abdulaziz International Airport costing about SR27 billion that is scheduled for opening in 2016, with its annual handling capacity increasing to 30 million passengers.

He said the new airport is designed in a modern way with the best available technologies and designs to ensure the smooth flow of passenger traffic.

It will offer a huge number of investment opportunities for the private sector, as well as thousands of job opportunities for the citizens and excellent facilities to the travelers.

Prince Mishaal also visited the Health Ministry’s SR3 billion projects across the province that include hospitals, a new tower covering an area of 5,000 sq m and providing 270 additional beds for patients at the King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah, in addition to Prince Abdul Majed Neurology Center worth SR2 billion.

The mayor gave an overview of the SR46 billion public transport project of Jeddah which, on completion, will offer the most modern means of transport across the city.

The project is expected to be completed toward the end of 2020 and the transport system will be open to the public by 2022, after conducting thorough safety and other tests.

It is designed to handle 30 percent of Jeddah’s traffic.

He also dealt with the 100 km Corniche waterfront project costing SR1.276 billion and said the plan includes tunnels, bridges, roads, and rainwater and storm water drainage treatment. He added that SR 7 billion has been allocated for providing the sewerage network covering all districts of Jeddah and expanding the industrial city as well as the Jeddah Islamic Port (JIP).

JIP Director General Saher ibn Musa Tahlawi said work is under way on the port’s development projects at a cost of SR800 million.