JEDDAH, 20 September 2007 — Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal inaugurated yesterday the SR290-million King Abdullah flyover and underpass project, which connects Al-Andalus and King Fahd roads.
The prince said that Jeddah is undergoing many development projects and he called for patience among the residents, especially with the upcoming projects (including ones to remove the roundabouts) that might cause temporary traffic discomforts.
The governor said that he is convinced that Jeddah would be a totally different city in five years. He noted that Jeddah Municipality has set up comprehensive development projects that are scheduled in the coming few years.
Mayor Adel Fakieh said the King Abdullah Road project was constructed in three phases in order to maintain traffic flow during construction. “King Abdullah Road is one of the most congested roads in the city and this project was a crucial element to ease the traffic flow,” he said.
The project has taken around four years to complete and was fully constructed under the regulations of the Ministry of Transportation. The first phase included an underpass at King Fahd Road and a flyover that intersects King Fahd Road with King Abdullah Road at a cost of SR109.5 million.
The second SR132-million phase included an underpass through King Abdullah Road and three intersections cutting through Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed Street, Al-Tawbah Street and Madinah Road.
The third phase, which cost SR39.6 million, included an intersection with Hail Street and a flyover through King Abdullah Road. The governor said that the third phase was the most important, because it services the most congested part of King Abdullah Road.
Over the next five years, the municipality is expected to spend SR700 million on road improvements in the city. It is part of the boost in infrastructure development that the city has been given to cater for the rapidly growing population.
Mohammed Bamanie, deputy mayor for projects and construction, recently identified three targets for roads in Jeddah over the next five years: To free up the major intersections, to complete some main roads west to east, and to upgrade some main roads north to south and upgrade them to the status of highways.
“Everything is on the way. We simply have to spend the money, because here in Jeddah the main roads are generally wide enough, but the problems with intersections really need to be solved,” said Bamanie.
