JEDDAH, 16 November 2003 — A new road will link the Jeddah expressway with Makkah to facilitate traffic to the holy city, Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed announced yesterday. “The higher authorities have already approved the opening of the road,” he said.
The prince told reporters the new road would run parallel to Umm Al-Qura Street, which currently links the expressway with the Grand Mosque. “The opening of the road will contribute greatly to facilitating transportation and easing traffic congestion,” he said.
Prince Abdul Majeed, who is chairman of the Makkah Development Authority, also announced plans to establish multistory car parks in the central region of the holy city. “We will also build new public transport stations and pedestrian walkways,” he said.
The governor said the development of Makkah would be carried out under the supervision of the authority and in coordination with public and private agencies.
Plans are also under way to establish a joint stock company to develop the Jabal Omar area close to the Grand Mosque. “Owners of real estate in the area will be able to join the company and will constitute the core of its constituent council,” he said. The Makkah Construction Company carried out a number of studies on developing Jabal Omar.
Asked about real estate owned by expatriates in Makkah, the governor said all would be treated equally. “Islam does not differentiate between Saudis and non-Saudis in legal matters,” he added.
Spelling out the new projects planned by the Makkah Development Authority, Prince Abdul Majeed said: “We have a lot of new projects in Makkah including the Jabal Khandama project, the Saab Aamir project, the Shamiya project, and the Ajyad General Hospital project.”
He said work on new projects in central Makkah were temporarily halted so that studies could be completed. “We want a complete plan to develop the whole region,” he explained. He said new projects would be implemented without affecting Makkah’s hydrogeology and topography, especially the sources of zamzam water.
