Residents here say they are “sick and tired” of the excuses offered by construction companies for the seemingly endless work taking place, including excavations for sanitation, drainage and underpasses. They say they all know by heart what the signs say: “Beware of excavations and maintenance work.” These signs are found everywhere in the coastal city, which seems to look like a giant construction site. Residents complain that companies work haphazardly and do not properly finish the work. This has caused major problems for residents. Motorists say the poor state of the roads has forced them to change their tires and shock absorbers every few months. Ali Al-Zahrani, a resident of Wadi Ahseer District in Jeddah, said they have been suffering for years because of the continuous construction on the street which links them to Al-Harazat in the east of the city. He said residents are “fed up” with endless municipal projects and apologies. “Whenever we approach the authorities at the mayoralty seeking their help to put an end to the problems stemming from the excavations, they promise us that they will find solutions immediately. But they never fulfill their promises.” Kamel Andejani said the potholes, ditches and cracks in most of the streets in the roads and the signs of, “Sorry for causing inconvenience, we work for you” have upset residents and visitors. This construction work has “shortened the life expectancy of cars,” he said. Kamel said residents of Al-Faisalyia District have been suffering from the sewage drainage project on Madina Road which is an artery linking the central city to the north. “The contractor has been working on the project for three years and there is no indication that he will finish it in the near future. This causes traffic chaos daily especially during peak hours. Needless to say, most other business owners who have shops on these streets have abandoned their businesses because of the huge losses they have incurred in this work.” Andejani said this has compelled many of the district's residents to seek alternative routes. In addition, when they contacted the company, the director told them the company found that the reservoir it dug was saturated with benzene because it was close to a fuel station. Since then the company has been working on a solution. Laheq Al-Zahrani, a resident of Al-Wazeeria District in east Jeddah, said the endless construction has resulted in financial losses for motorists, who have to spend between SR500 to SR1,000 on buying spare parts for their cars. Added to this is the traffic chaos. The excuses of these companies are unacceptable, he added. __
