Closure of Hada road affecting tourism

The completion of the Taif-Hada road, a road that will connect the holy city of Makkah to the central and eastern provinces, remains uncertain in the wake of the floods that hit the country.
Speaking with Arab News after visiting the site along with Taif Gov. Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Muammar, Transport Ministry Director in Taif Omar Al-Hussaini said: “Most of the work is complete and only asphalting remains to be done. Al-Hussaini said that 90 percent of the work is finished and the road will be opened to traffic within a month.
Faruq Islam, manager at a resort station in Hada, said the ongoing road work has negatively affected tourism.
Buses and heavy vehicles are not allowed on Hada road. An estimated one million vehicles travel on Hada hill road each year.
The road is now closed for four months for maintenance, removal of rocks and for expanding the barrier length on side of the road. Maintenance work also has to be carried out regularly to prevent disasters, as accidents often occur due to falling rocks. Adverse weather conditions also pose risks to motorists. As a precautionary measure, authorities often prevent vehicle movement on the road. Traffic is closely monitored by Civil Defense, in addition to traffic police and Ministry of Transport.
The Ministry of Transport has allocated SR 12 million to execute maintenance and rock removal, having removed 3,000 cubic meters of rocks from the road.