JEDDAH, 12 September 2007 — The Jeddah Municipality has embarked on a massive project to repair some 30,000 patches and holes on the city’s roads and streets, and build 15 new bridges and underpasses to facilitate traffic flow, according to Jeddah Mayor Adel Fakieh.
“We have already repaired some 15,000 holes and patches during the past weeks,” the mayor told reporters. “Contractors will complete the rest of the work within the next three months,” he added.
Fakieh said the municipality had issued warning notices to contractors, who carried out digging works, for leaving deep holes on roads. “We have identified around 1,500 such holes as a result of the negligence of contracting companies,” he said.
Municipal officials, however, acknowledged that there was lack of coordination between companies contracted for carrying out digging works for sewage pipelines and those assigned for repairing roads after the digging works.
Ibrahim Kutub Khan, undersecretary at the municipality for construction affairs, said some companies had carried out repair work in a wrong manner causing roads to sink in many areas.
“We will impose fines on such companies. ... The municipality will ask the companies to reconstruct the road. If they did not cooperate, then the municipality will do the work at the expense of those companies,” Khan explained.
Dr. Ahmed Banafie, supervisor of projects at the municipality, said the new projects, including bridges, flyovers and underpasses, would cost SR1.109 billion. “We are also conducting 37 road maintenance works at a cost of more than SR610 million,” he said.
