Pilgrims during this Haj season will be able to use the third floor of the Jamarat Bridge after its completion to ease the traffic and manage the mass movement of pilgrims during the stoning rituals starting Dec.8. Three levels out of a projected five have been completed of the SR4.2 billion Jamarat Bridge expansion project. The project is expected to be completed next year. “During this Haj, pilgrims will be able to use the third level of the Jamarat Bridge, which has been constructed as per the instructions of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to help prevent the possibility of a stampede, said Habib Mustafa Zain Al-Abideen, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Secretary General of the development of Makkah and Madina. This expansion project has been implemented in four phases. The first and second phases include the basement of underground services and emergency evacuation and exit tunnels to separate pedestrians from vehicle traffic on the bridge. Exit tunnels will be used in emergency situations to transport and evacuate casualties to a helicopter airfield. “The project includes an integrated system for the transfer of stoning pebbles outside the Jamarat area,” he said. The ground floor of the bridge will be used for pilgrims coming mainly from the plain of Mina and it is designed only for pedestrian movement with ambulance stations, civil defense and basic services,” Zain Al-Abideen said. The first floor of the bridge is designed with two entrances: one for pilgrims coming from north of Mina, Arab and Johara market, and the second for pilgrims coming from south of Mina and King Faisal Street. After finishing their stoning rituals, the pilgrims can use three exits: two to Mina and one to Makkah. The second floor of the bridge is accessed from the direction of Makkah through two entrances: one from the north side for pilgrims coming from the west side of the Jamarat area and the second for pilgrims coming from the south side of the Jamarat area. The pilgrims can exit the second floor through one ramp toward Makkah. The third floor of the bridge will be used for pilgrims coming from central Mina, King Fahd Street, and the housing complex. The pilgrims can use escalators to go up to and down from the third floor. Meanwhile, the committee concerned with the development of the holy places in Makkah has decided to reduce the capacity of the Jamarat Bridge to 300,000 pilgrims per hour to reduce the pressure on the “Tawaf” area in the Holy Mosque of Makkah during this Haj season. This decision was taken with the knowledge that pilgrims will normally head toward the Tawaf area immediately after finishing the rite of throwing Jamarat stones Dec. 8,9 and 10.
