The reopening of the dual carriageway all-lit Al-Hada (Al-Kur) Road connecting Taif with Makkah, has put smiles back on the faces of those who frequently travel between the two cities, either for educational or business purposes. The road, closed for reconstruction and expansion for almost 29,000 hours over a period of three years, was opened for the public on June 6 by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of the Makkah Region. Mohammad Abulmajd, a laborer in the Bin Laden Company which carried out the SR218 million road construction and expansion project, was more than happy to get overtime for the extra hours he put in given the urgency attached to the completion of the project. “During the last two months, we were paid overtime for the extra work we did. We did our best to complete the project in the stipulated time.” The company personnel, he added, will still monitor the road for about a year and do repair work as and when required. “We carried out some controlled explosions on the mountain side of the road and did some expansion work through the nearby mountains. We put steel three meters deep inside the mountains on either side of the road. Now we can give an assurance that no rock or stone can fall down during the rainy season,” he said. Abdulaziz Aboud, a driver who frequently travels between Makkah and Taif, was ecstatic about the opening of the road. On Saturday, he saw cars waiting for the road to be declared open. He also waited long hours and was one of the first to drive on the new road. “It is fantastic and it's so smooth,” he observed. Abdullah Al-Tuweijiri, a retired employee, said he wanted to be among the first to travel on the road. “I waited for my sons to take me down to see the road, but they refused because there was a football match on television on the day of the opening. I decided to drive on my own and took my daughters along. I moved very slowly because I have some problem in my eyes. I went down and did not encounter any difficulty. Then I decided to go to Makkah and buy my favorite meal, Kubaiba. After that I came back slowly. The drive was really beautiful,” he said. Abdul Hadi Al-Khaldi, an employee, said, “I do not know why the people go down the zig-zag road without any business. I went down with my friends and I noticed that there are still some dangerous curves. Young men, especially, should be cautious when driving here.” Over 15,000 concrete barriers have been erected on either side and in the middle of the road in order to prevent road accidents. Roadside parking space for emergency situations has also been provided. Dr. Jabarah Bin Eid Al-Suraisiri, Minister of Transport, said the final stage of the project is 12-km long and was executed at a total cost of SR218 million. The Taif-Jeddah escarpment road is a marvel of engineering. Breathtaking and majestic, the road rises 6,500 feet in 21 km and 93 bends. Adel Al-Terkistani, a master sergeant in one of Taif's military hospitals, said, “I think they expanded this road for me and other employees who come from Makkah to work in Taif and return home daily. I used to come to Taif through Al-Sail road which is always full of trucks. Besides it is longer than Al-Hada.” Al-Terkistani said he noticed some dangerous curves at the beginning of the road. Drivers, he said, need to concentrate and to drive slowly. “I drove from Al-Hada down to the bottom in 12 minutes, but from Al-Hada to my home in Al-Hijra street in Makkah took me 40 minutes which is more than I expected but better than an hour and a half to go through Al-Sail Road.” Another good thing about the road is that it is completely illuminated, he said. “I like the lights very much; it helps a lot in driving to have the road well lit.” When Al-Hada road was closed, all restaurants, gas stations, hotels, furnished apartments and even small groceries suffered economically and some of them even closed for lack of business. Now, the situation is different – most of the resorts, hotels and other facilities are redecorating and getting ready to start business afresh. Kahled Al-Basha, the owner of a restaurant in Al-Hada area, said, “With the opening of the road, we have a new life. We are very happy now. We really suffered during the last three years.”
