80% of faltered road projects back on track, says Saudi ministry

RIYADH — The Ministry of Transport started addressing its faltered projects last year, bringing 80 percent of the projects back on track.

The ministry expects to complete these projects by 2020, it said, adding that 66 out of 82 faltered projects were re-tendered.

In the field of traffic safety, the ministry has endeavored to implement vibration techniques on 8,000 kilometers to warn careless drivers and alert them in the event they stray from the lanes or if they are preoccupied with their phones while driving.

The ministry addressed 50 percent of hazards and identified 81 dangerous traffic points. A methodology has been proposed to address road hazards across the Kingdom.

Based on the results of a systematic study (IRAAP), the ministry is working on developing and updating the traffic control systems and specifications, as well as the technical specifications for safety signs and traffic lights with the aim of reducing the rate of fatal accidents.

The ministry said further studies are under way to identify more black spots and hazard zones. It said a database to follow up road safety would be prepared based on these studies.

As a result of the implementation of the road safety projects, the number of road accidents dropped by 25 percent, compared to the previous year. The number of deaths caused by road accidents decreased by 33 percent and the number of injuries caused by 25.5 percent.

The ministry said it opened new roads with a total length of 823 km. It completed the maintenance of thousands of kilometers of dirt and mountain roads connecting villages and deserted areas.

The ministry›s call center 938 received more than 22,000 communications through various channels last year.

The ministry noted that the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) has been activated on the Kingdom›s roads to analyze traffic information and to monitor locations that require intervention to improve safety.

The concept of e-governance has also been expanded by focusing on the implementation of e-government transactions.

In the field of design, the ministry pointed out that 35 projects were approved in the 2018 budget, and redesigning proposed plans for the intersection of a number of projects, including the airport road in Abha. The area of expropriated property for the road projects has been reduced drastically according to new designs.

The ministry has prepared the architectural designs of Safwa-Rahima Bridge, the 700-meter-long Abu Hadariyah intersection in Dammam, the Ramah intersection on Dammam-Riyadh Highway. A number of projects have been completed to beautify the northern entrance to Riyadh and other city entrances.

According to the ministry, these projects contributed to bringing the Kingdom to the second place in the world for road networks as well as to raise its rank to 30 among 140 countries in the road link index within the Global Competitiveness Report 2018.

These projects will also enhance and support efforts to raise the level of traffic safety, reduce injuries and deaths in road accidents, provide a sustainable public transport service for the people of all regions, contribute to economic development across the regions, and promote projects that contribute to reducing congestion and environmental pollution within cities, the ministry said.

As a result of the implementation of the road safety projects, the number of road accidents dropped by 25 percent, compared to the previous year. The number of deaths caused by road accidents decreased by 33 percent and the number of injuries caused by 25.5 percent.