Underpass fails to ease Tahlia congestion

Motorists here say they are still stuck in heavy traffic even after the opening of the Tahlia-Sabaeen underpass because the Tahlia-Makarona underpass further down the westbound road has not opened.
They said the municipality should have opened both underpasses at the same time. The Makarona underpass opens at the end of Ramadan.
Mohammed Mirza, a motorist, said: “After the opening of this underpass the traffic jams are worse. They should have planned to open it along with the Makarona underpass, to ensure smooth traffic flow.”
He said drivers think the road is free flowing but then head into a huge traffic jam further down the road.
“When the cars come out of the underpass instead of going straight the traffic has to detour to side roads, creating more congestion,” he said.
Another motorist, Ahmed Malik, said the city should have opened both underpasses together. "That would have been a wise decision,” he said. “Now coming from the east you think you can go straight but when you come out of the underpass you are stuck in a traffic jam. It takes a long time to get out of the traffic especially during rush hours,” he said.
There was also the danger of accidents because large trucks drive into the congested area.
Mohammed Abdulaziz, another motorist, said: “I don’t understand the strategy of these underpasses. They were made to ease the flow of traffic but there is congestion again when vehicles reach the Pepsi bridge intersection,” he said.
Abdul Aziz Al-Nihari, spokesman for the Jeddah Municipality, said the underpass at the Tahlia Street (also known as Prince Mohammad bin Abdul Aziz Road) and Makarona Street junction, would open by the end of Ramadan.