The Riyadh Municipality is considering a proposal to build a single tunnel that will extend throughout major streets in the city for future underground projects.
The move aims to limit road construction and excavations, which hinder traffic flow.
The municipality submitted their proposal during the very first workshop held in Riyadh to monitor excavation work.
The paper revealed some of the most prominent problems resulting from roadwork, which mainly included congestion and weakening road infrastructure through repetitive digging operations at the same locations.
The study found that most contractors are not committed to the terms of their contracts, have failed to deliver tangible results and have done more harm than good to road infrastructure.
A single tunnel near the King Abdullah Financial Center helps in distributing services, such as water and electricity networks, water floods drainage networks, communication lines, irrigation pipes, hard waste suction pipes and fire-distinguishing network pipes, the study said.
The study found that soil and cement reinforcement is crucial prior to embarking on drilling or digging operations.
There are 13 bodies that are authorized to acquire licenses for digging and excavation works on the streets of Riyadh.
Four of these companies are affiliated with the city’s municipality, in addition to the High Commission for the Development of Riyadh, the Traffic Department, the Ministry of Transportation, the General Organization for Seawater Desalination, the National Water Company, communication companies and the Saudi Electricity Company.
More than 119,400 licenses have been granted over the past five years, with excavation work spanning more than 27,000 km.
This translates to an average of 79 licenses a day, sources said.
Tunnel planned to ease Riyadh road excavations
