Okaz/Saudi Gazette

DEEP potholes and surfacing sewage have been the hallmarks of Old Makkah Road for several years. A large number of trucks use the road that serves several districts of south Jeddah during peak hours evading traffic police.

“The suffering of motorists severe from Kilo 5 to Kilo 14,” said Ahmed Atiyyah. “We have been facing this terrible situation for the past three decades, particularly at the traffic points of Kilo 13, Kilo 11 and at Kilo 14 near the vegetable market,” he told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

Atiyyah blamed the municipality and the National Water Company for the traffic problems on the road.

The municipality allows digging works on the road for installing electricity and telecom cables as well as sewage pipes intermittently, thus the road remains constantly damaged.

“This poor condition of the road has damaged several vehicles and forced motorist to frequent workshops,” he said. “The repair of potholes after every maintenance work incurs heavy financial losses on the government,” he added.

Salim Al-Ghamdi urged the authorities to find a lasting solution for the problem. “The surfacing sewage as well as rain damage the top layers of the asphalt,” he said, adding that recurrent road repair works were causing traffic congestion.

The National Water Company should complete the sewage network quickly to prevent sewage from surfacing. The municipality should also establish a rainwater drainage system along the road. Leaking sewage spreads a bad odor from Kilo 11 to Kilo 14, tarnishing the city’s image.

Mohammed Al-Zahimi said the closure of the road between Kilo 13 and Kilo 11 for maintenance work was negatively affecting the smooth flow of traffic. Moreover, some big trucks hit the road during peak hours exploiting negligence by the traffic police.

He said the continuous movement of water trucks was another reason for damaging the road.

Saeed Al-Harbi expressed his hope that the completion of a bridge linking the Old Makkah Road with Prince Majed Road would reduce the traffic bottlenecks on the old highway. He urged the authorities to finish the work on the bridge quickly without any further delay.

“Contractors must be asked to complete their projects within a specific time frame and must be punished for any delay,” Al-Harbi said.

Raed Al-Shahrani said the contractor for laying sewage piped on the Old Makkah Road was not given a deadline to complete the work.

“This gives the contractor an opportunity to delay the work,” he said. “We should insist that every contractor place a sign stating the date when the work will be completed.”