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Riyadh’s road network overhaul gets moving: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City has kicked off the first phase of Riyadh’s main and ring road development program, awarding four contracts worth more than SAR 13 bn, according to a statement on Thursday. The commission plans to award more contracts soon.
The four contracts were awarded for:
- The construction of the Second Southern Ring Road, which will stretch 56 km from the new Al-Kharj Road in the east to Jeddah Road in the west. It will include four lanes in each direction, 10 main intersections, and 32 bridges;
- Two parallel bridges will be built alongside the Wadi Laban suspension bridge. The contract also covers the establishment of a 4 km-long stretch of the Western Ring Road where it meets Jeddah Road, together with the construction of four new bridges at the Western Ring Road and Jeddah Road junction;
- Construction of the western portion of the Thumama Road Axis. The contract entails the establishment of a 6 km section connecting King Khalid Road in the west to King Fahd Road in the east;
- Taif Road will be extended from Laban neighborhood to Qiddiya, with the extension covering 16 km from the western end of Taif Road in Laban to Qiddiya.
What we don’t know: No details were provided about the individual cost of each project, or which companies were awarded each of the contracts.
The timeline: Contracts under the first phase of Riyadh’s main and ring road development program are expected to take some three to four years to complete.
BACKGROUND- This is part of the Ring Roads Axes Development Program, which kicked off in 2019. The program includes upgrades to some 500 km of roads in Riyadh, including the construction of new roads, elevating the quality of existing roads, and measures to boost connectivity. The initiative comes in a bid to accommodate population growth, bolster mega development projects in the city, and future-proof Riyadh’s road network.
