JEDDAH, 30 August 2006 — Twenty-three infrastructure projects will be available for bidding to local construction companies at an estimated cost of SR600 million. According to officials the Red Sea port city is going through various makeover projects that will finish in three years.
Abdul Aziz Asseri, transportation adviser for the office of the mayor of Jeddah Municipality, said that the municipality will be short-listing the companies that are competing for the contracts to build five bridges on five major intersections in Jeddah. The companies that will win the contracts for the construction of the bridges will be announced within one month.
The five intersections are Makarona Road with Hira Road, Prince Sultan Road with Sary Street, Prince Mohammed ibn Abdul Aziz Road with Prince Miteb Road, King Fahd Road with Quraish Road and Al-Jamiah Road with Makkah Road. The bridges are part of a long-term plan aimed at improving the flow of traffic and network in the city.
The Jeddah Municipality will also be placing projects for the construction of five tunnels and 13 bridges that are currently in the designing phase and will be on bid within three months.
Most of the projects are expected to be ready within a year after construction starts. The five tunnels will be completed in two years. The municipality is working in coordination with the Transportation Ministry, Rail Roads General Institution, Interior Ministry and the department for studies and supervision at the agency for projects.
The location of future projects will include the Prince Majed Road intersection with Prince Sultan ibn Salman Road, Mohammed ibn Abdul Aziz Road, Bakhshab Road, Ibn Baz Road, Makkah Road, Palestine Road, Bani Malik Road, Qurnata Road. They also include building bridges on intersections of Prince Mohammed Road with Umm Al-Qura Road, King Fahd with Gornata Road, Prince Mohammed Road with Makarona Road, King Abdullah with Al-Murtadi Road, King Fahd with Al-Baladiah and King Fahd with Wadi Wij.
Al-Asseri said that within three years, Jeddah is going to change completely. The projects rely on moderate standards and long-term development planning to apply a smart road network.
The projects also aim at improving the standards of construction of roads in the city. The transportation and traffic department are monitoring and supervising the road network in the city.
