Delays in the execution of road overpasses and underpasses across Jeddah are causing problems to shops and establishments located around them. A number of owners of such shops complain the projects are drastically affecting their turnover and profits.
About 27 percent of the establishments located around the road projects on Tahliah Street have been closed due to the low number of clients. The works prevent clients from reaching the shops, according to Farooq Al-Khateeb, professor at King Abdulaziz University.
"It is a catastrophe. I receive only a few clients a day. The profits of my restaurant have been badly affected,” said Mohammad Jamal, a Yemeni resident and owner of a small restaurant located around a road underpass project on Tahliah Street. Before implementation of the project, his monthly revenues exceeded SR 5,000. This has been cut down to less than SR 1,000, he said.
“I am afraid the project will take long to be completed. I do not intend to close my restaurant, but several other shops have been forced to shut down due to the delays in implementing this project," Jamal said.
"The delays in the execution of the projects have a negative impact on the commercial action of the street. The prices of commercial establishments located around the road projects might drop to more than 50 percent if the owner plans to sell his shop," Al-Khateeb said.
Jeddah’s Sari Street used to be another vibrant commercial area, but stores are suffering from the low turnout of clients due to the implementation of a road underpass project. Many stores have been closed, while others are waiting for the project to end.
"Contractors should take the situation of commercial establishments and shops located around the road projects into account," said Abdullah Baker Radwan, president of the national construction committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
"The projects are taking a long time, and small stores cannot wait for that. The major problem is that many infrastructure projects have been started at the same time," he added. “Thirty percent of the small commercial stores have been closed on Sari Street due to the project. Big stores can wait for the projects to end, but small establishments cannot," said Al-Khateeb.
Saeed Zaki, an Egyptian resident working at a shoe store on Sari Street, said the project had cut into its earnings. Due to the project, there is no parking and the street is always crowded, Zaki said. “Last year during Ramadan, we did not gain enough profits to pay the rent of our store and the salaries of the workers," he said.
