JEDDAH: All tunnel projects will now be passed and approved by Dr. Hani Abu Ras, the Mayor of Jeddah, according to an official source at the mayoralty. “Dr. Abu Ras has enforced his decision by canceling a bid for the construction of a tunnel at the Al-Andalus and Al-Hamra intersection although the project has been awarded to a contractor,” said the source. He said this happened even though the winner had offered the lowest bid of SR240 million. The project was cancelled because the tunnel was found to be located on floods routes flowing from east Jeddah. He said the mayor is considering a plan for the construction of 30 underpasses on the main intersections instead of tunnels. The plan is based on the outcome of a study conducted by the Director General of Transportation and Traffic at the mayoralty. He said the underpasses will be constructed on the main intersections to ease the flow of traffic during peak hours.
