Waterfront fountain project opened

Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs, inaugurated the new waterfront fountain project located in the middle of the Corniche, as well as the renovated Palestine Street, in the presence of Hani Aburas, the mayor of Jeddah, Walid bin Abdullah, president of the Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company, in addition to a number of other officials on Wednesday.
During the inauguration ceremony, Prince Mansour said the Kingdom’s leadership places emphasis on the development of leisure and recreational sites, which will provide residents with venues to spend quality time with their families, as well as attract tourists.
“The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and the Jeddah Municipality are cooperating with the Jeddah Development and Urban Regeneration Company on several projects, particularly in the Bride of the Red Sea. Studies are currently under way to develop the north and south areas of the Corniche, thereby providing a complete uplift to the remaining Jeddah Corniche,” he said.
The opening of the waterfront fountain project marks the second project to be completed following the first phase of the North Corniche, which was accomplished five months ago.
The prince indicated that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs has been mandated to create a number of national projects, of which the most important is the development and renovation of waterfronts in the Kingdom’s coastal cities.
Walid bin Abdullah said the Corniche development project was executed to the highest international standards with the aim of enhancing the Kingdom’s tourism, given the significance of Jeddah and its proximity to the two holy cities.
“The projects have been developed with special attention to safeguarding the environment and ensuring sustainability. We thank our partners in the public and private sectors for accomplishing these schemes with utmost care to detail,” said Walid.
For his part, Aburas said the development projects currently under way strive to make Jeddah an international tourism destination with unique historic and modern features.
Prince Mansour and Aburas urged citizens to take care of the new facilities and projects, as they have been created to provide a public space for leisure and family recreation.
Marwan Rihan, project manager of the waterfront said: “Granite pavements similar to the ones in Jumaira Beach and renovated underground utilities have been established in Palestine Street, stretching 1.2 km from Andalus to the middle of the Corniche intersection. The project began as an experiment. Due to its success, we will commence renovating other streets in Jeddah soon.”
He also listed the other projects currently under way, including the Salman Bay housing project comprising 1,250 buildings, the development of Wadi Al-Asla, the Jeddah Metro and the development projects north and south of the Corniche.
“The second phase of the northern part of the Corniche will be tendered soon, which spans 8.7 km from the Naurus roundabout to Fatima Mosque. The overall cost of all the Red Sea Corniche projects is estimated at SR 1 billion,” he added.
The new waterfront project incorporates five playgrounds, more than 1,300 palm trees, 1,500 other types of trees, 21 kiosks, public toilets for males and females, as well as facilities for the handicapped and parking space for almost 850 cars. The project costs an estimated SR 200 million.