Ibrahim Alawi
JEDDAH — Makkah Emir Prince Khalid Al-Faisal has called for a committee to supervise and expedite the public transportation project.
Jeddah Mayor Hani Abu Ras said Prince Khalid ordered the head of the supervising committee of the public transportation project to form another committee responsible for making sure the project is completed before its determined deadline.
“The Emir said in a meeting held at his office on Monday that the public transportation project will be a transformational project for the people of Jeddah. It will make their lives more convenient and the people will be motivated to be more productive,” said Abu Ras.
He added the project has partnered with Jeddah Metro to achieve the project.
Metro Jeddah CEO Osama Abdou said the metro is only one means of transportation in the Jeddah public transportation project.
“We are working on Ubhur Suspended Bridge project which will have eight lanes allowing 6,000 vehicles to ply in an hour. The entire project will cost around SR45 billion and it will be implemented in cooperation with international corporations,” said Abdou.
He added the bridge will be the longest in the world, connecting north Ubhur with south Ubhur and passing through Sharm Ubhur.
“The bridge will be 2,000 meters long and 74 meters wide. Its main pillars and columns are 51 meters high. The bridge is one of the most important public transportation projects for Jeddah City. It will enable people to choose between taking the metro, driving or walking through the bridge,” said Abdou.
He also said the bridge also serves travelers arriving at King Abdulaziz International Airport.
“Travelers will have the option of taking the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques train to Makkah or the metro to Jeddah Central Station, the biggest metro station in the Middle East, to downtown Jeddah.
The station will have a five-star hotel and commercial, medical and service centers as well,” said Abdou. He added the project is expected to be complete by 2020.
“We will be testing the safety and security of the project once it’s done, therefore we might have the project available for the general public and in full operation by 2022. Our prediction is that the public transport will cover 20 percent of all transport needs in the city within 20 years of its operation,” said Abdou.
