By Ibrahim Alawi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and Adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, will open on Wednesday Jeddah’s new waterfront.

The 4.2-kilometer-long waterfront covering an area of 700,000 square meters has been built at a cost of SR800 million.

It consists of vast green areas, advanced infrastructure and a 650-meter-long walkway as well as three new beaches for swimming with a total area of 50,000 square meters.

The green areas are spread over 275,000 square meters and include a six-kilometer-long sewage network, a 14-kilometer-long drainage network of rainwater and floods, a seven-kilometer-long network of irrigation tanks, drinking water, and an electricity network consisting of 35 kilometers of low voltage cables and communications network.

There is also a 4,634-meter-long sea walkway and 650-meter-long hanging pedestrian bridge connecting the Corniche with Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Street.

There is a 125-meter-long fishing pier with 15 canopies, which can accommodate 814 people.

The three swimming beaches have shark barriers and observation towers.

There are 10 public bathrooms and 10 pay toilets, 17 plazas, 12 sculptures, 12 fountains, a water park and walking areas covering 247,000 meters. There are also areas extending 8,000 square meters for children.

There are 96 surveillance cameras and Internet service.

The entire waterfront project will be completed in six phases. The first three phases extending from Border Guard in the south up to Al-Nawras Square in the north have been completed and opened for public. The fourth and fifth phases have just been completed. The sixth phase, which will be taken up in the future, extends from Jubair Bin Al-Harith Street to Al-Rahma Mosque in the north.