JEDDAH: Apart from playing a major role in the country’s economic progress, construction of expressways and other road networks have made journeys smooth and safe for pilgrims traveling by roads, especially those coming from beyond the northern and eastern boundaries of the Kingdom.
Before the Kingdom’s unification under King Abdul Aziz, the domestic and foreign pilgrims visiting Makkah and Madinah encountered many hardships because of the rough and insecure nature of the roads. Lack of good roads made the Haj journey so unsafe that many who set out for Haj feared dying along the way, writing their wills before their journey.
Things changed when the Ministry of Communication (later the Ministry of Transportation) was set up in 1952 and launched the construction of good roads linking major cities, towns and villages.
The ministry undertook the design, building and maintenance of the Kingdom’s network of roads. The ministry is also responsible for the coordination of all surface transportation, including bus services and railways. In keeping pace with the progress achieved in other fields in the Kingdom, the transportation sector also witnessed amazing changes during the last few decades and its roles continue to expand.
In carrying out its vital role, the ministry has had to deal with complex problems caused by extreme climate and geography ranging from high and rugged mountain ranges to rocky plains and vast deserts.
The rulers, since the time of the Kingdom’s founding, have been paying special attention to developing roads and other means of transportation.
The Kingdom from north to south and east to west has been linked by 59,000 km of expressways, one-way roads and single roads constructed following the highest technological specifications. It also has 139,000 km of agricultural roads that help farms to market their products, in addition to 22,000 km of roads under construction.
The major road projects include the expressway linking the Eastern Province with the Riyadh and Makkah provinces. Excellent road networks have also been constructed in the southern and southwestern regions of the Kingdom.
Other networks include the Riyadh-Qassim expressway, the Qassim-Hail expressway and the Qassim-Hafr Al-Baten expressway. The Dammam-Abu Hadria-Hafr Al-Baten highway links the Eastern Province with the northern region. There are also modern highways to link Riyadh with Asir, Jazan and Najran provinces.
Madinah is linked with Makkah by expressways apart from the Jeddah-Madinah expressway. While there is already an expressway between Madinah and Tabuk, another is under construction between Qassim and Madinah which will be extended to Makkah. There are 135,000 km of mud roads built at the cost of SR 132 billion.
Billions of riyals are being spent to build a new railway network between the east and west, and north and south. The Haramain railway between Makkah and Madinah, expected to be commissioned in 2014, is considered a milestone in the service of pilgrims.
Excellent roads make Haj safer
