Traffic department officials have announced that several massive infrastructure projects will shortly be completed, which are expected to ease traffic congestion in the city by about 70 percent.

“Jeddah’s Municipality and the traffic administration in the city are making joint efforts to complete six new overpass and underpass projects on major roads at a cost of SR895.6 billion,” Brig. Wasalallah Al-Harbi, Jeddah’s Traffic Department director, told Arab News on Wednesday.

Al-Harbi added that the completion of these projects would free up roads and streets and ensure a free flow of traffic without bottlenecks.

According to the latest studies conducted by the administration, more than 5 million vehicles are plying on Jeddah’s roads, he said.

“The presence of such a huge volume of traffic on Jeddah’s roads mandates the expansion of the traffic infrastructure to tackle the situation.”

Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, director of the Traffic Engineering Department at the Jeddah Municipality, reiterated the fact that the completion of the municipal projects currently underway would bring down traffic congestion by 70 percent.

He said work on the bridge at the intersection of Palestine Street with Prince Miteb Street (also known as Arbaeen Street), and Dallah Street, which had been stalled for several years, had resumed.

The stalling of the project has been a source of constant headache for motorists in nearby districts.

Muhammad Al-Mutairi, a resident of the Bani Malik district in Jeddah, said sometimes waited for more than 30 minutes at traffic signals to reach his office, which is located near his home.