JEDDAH, 2 May 2004 — Residents of the neighborhoods of eastern Jeddah are complaining that the Makkah Expressway is cutting them off from the rest of the city, Al-Watan daily reported.
Residents of Al-Ajwad, Breman, Al-Samer and Al-Rabie districts said that it is difficult for them to get into the western part of the city. Students are late to school because of traffic and the lack of major roads that cross to the other side.
Ibrahem Al-Shami, Breman resident, said, “We are suffering because there are no tunnels or bridges here to connect our area with the rest. The population is growing and the area is expanding, yet we are isolated.
“Our children have to go to the other side for school so either we have to drive them over very early in the morning or they suffer punishment for being late. There are no other solutions but to build tunnels or bridges to connect our neighborhoods with the western side”.
Ibrahem Al-Harbi said, “The problem has existed for 15 years as the area has expanded and the only exit point to the western side is the Briman bridge. This bridge is widely used by sewage and garbage trucks, which create huge traffic jams.”
He said the only other exit point that they can use is a dirt road under the bridge which only small cars can use.
Khaled Masad said: “The municipality should have thought of building other roads to connect both sides instead of waiting until it became a major problem. We are missing out on major services in this area. There are solutions on the table, but I don’t know why they are not implemented”.
A source from the Jeddah municipality told Al-Watan that designs and studies for the area’s development are complete. One solution under consideration is a tunnel underneath the expressway but all projects require approval from the ministry. After approval is given, the municipality can put an end to the suffering of the residents concerned.
